GIFT   OF 


C/asf 


THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 


THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 


GEORGE  TURNER  MARSH 
ONALD  TEMPLE 

With  ILLUSTRATIONS  By 
CHIURA   OBATA 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

JOHN  J.  NEWBEGIN 

MCMXVI 


COPYRIGHT,  1916,  BY  JOHN  J.  NEWBEGIN 


PRINTED  BY  TAYLOR  &  TAYLOR,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


BEFORE  THE  CURTAIN 


HIS  tale  aims  to  picture  the  awakening  Japan  —  the  Japan  of 
the  period  that  begins  with  the  year  1854,  and  en^s  w'lt^  the 
year  1890.  The  scene  of  the  Prologue  is  laid  at  Tedo  in  the  year 
18^4;  that  of  Part  I  at  Lake  Eiwa  and  Tedo,  1854-1868,  and 
that  of  Part  II  at  Tokyo,  Satsuma,  Lake  Eiwa,  and  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  1875-1890. 

The  Mikado  has  always  been  recognized  as  the  ruler  by  divin- 
ity,claiming  descent  from  Ama-terasu,the  Sun  Goddess.  In  1192 
a  dual  system  of  government  was  formed  by  Tori-tomo,  who,  upon 
his  overcoming  the  powerful  Taira  family,  received  the  special 
court  title  of  Shogun.  This  also  created  him  military  ruler,  from 

[v] 


3G0618 


which  time,  under  the  direction  of  succeeding  Shoguns,  the  Nation 
was  governed  continuously  by  various  -powerful  families  till  the 
year  1868;  when  the  Imperial  adherents  overcoming  the  Shogun- 
ate,  the  Mikado  re-assumed  the  sole  active  government  of  the 
country. 

As  the  Proscenium  of  the  Theatre  lights  upland  the  Orchestra 
commences  attuning  its  instruments,  the  mind  of  the  Audience 
focuses  expectantly  upon  the  unfolding  of  'the plot 3  and  the  sustain- 
ing of  the  various  roles  by  the  actors. 

The  curtain  is  rising  upon  an  entirely  new  Drama  in  the 
Theatre  of  Life.  Heretofore  its  music  has  been  interpreted  by 
Occidental  ears,  in  the  booming  of  cannon  and  clash  of  steel.  But 
there  is  an  underlying  motif ,  deeper^  great  errand  more  truly  hu- 
mane —  undistinguishable  by  those  ignorant  of  Japanese  melody  — 
and  this  motif  carries  in  it  no  suggestion  of  the  Eat  tie  Marches  of 
other  Nations  of  the  Great  World.  As  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
actors  of  this  Drama  sustain  their  roles  ^  the  World  must  be  the 
judge.  In  this  book  both  historical  events  and  characters  repre- 
sent National  conditions  solely ;  yet  it  would  be  but  a  sorry  Play 
that  contained  in  its  unfolding  nothing  of  the  greatest  of  all  hu- 
man passions  and  incentives  —  Love. 

THE  AUTHORS. 


[vi] 


CONTENTS 

PROLOGUE:  PAGE  3 
PART  I 

I.      THE  GARDEN  BY  THE  WATER  PAGE     15 

II.       WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND  SULTAN  IS  FORGOT                       22 

III.  THE  LORD  FORLORN  30 
IV.      DEEP  WATERS  AND  A  WIND  4O 

V.       THE  TREASURE  AND  THE  MASTER  47 

VI.       EARTH  AND  GRAIN  54 

vii.    A  HEART'S  DESIRE  61 

VIII.      THE  FILING  OF  THE  KEY  68 

ix.     YOUTH'S  MANUSCRIPT  CLOSED  72 

X.      THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE  80 

XI.      THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  88 

PART  II 

I.       ON  WITH  THE  DRAMA  IOI 

II.       THE  PLAYER  AND  THE  BALL  IO8 

III.      THE  LION  IN  THE  COURTS  OF  THE  LIZARD  1 15 

IV.  A  SORRY  TRADE  I2O 
V.       ON  THE  ROLL  OF  FATE  128 

VI.       SAYONARA,  O  GARDEN  OF  MINE !  134 

VII.      THE  OLD  FAMILIAR  JUICE  140 

[vii] 


VIII.  POTTER  AND  POTS  PAGE    146 

ix.  THE  GARDEN'S  HYACINTH  154 

X.  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  POTTER  l6o 

xi.  THE  PORTER'S  SHOULDER-KNOT  167 

XII.  THE  POTTER  THUMPS  HIS  CLAY  173 

XIII.  THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  VINE  l8l 

XIV.  BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR  1 88 

XV.  THE  PIECES  OF  THE  GAME  199 

XVI.  THE  BIRD  OF  TIME  IS  WINGING  2OQ 

XVII.  AH  !  THE  PASSIVE  LIP  I  KISS'D !  214 

XVIII.  THREAD-BARE  PENITENCE  2IQ 

XIX.  IDOLS  OF  LOVE  224 

XX.  COMES  MIGHTY  M  AH  MUD  WITH  HIS  SWORD  237 

XXI.  THE  ANGEL  BY  THE  RIVER  BRINK  244 

XXII.  OVER  THE  FLAMING  SHOULDERS  OF  THE  FOAL  253 

XXIII.  BLOWN  FLOWERS  257 

XXIV.  THE  TAVERN  LIGHT  264 

XXV.  NAKED,  UPON  THE  AIR  28l 

XXVI.  FALLING  LEAVES  287 

XXVII.  ON  THE  KNEES  OF  THE  GODS  2Q7 

GLOSSARY  303 


[viii] 


THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Wake!  for  the  Sun  who  scattered  into  flight 
The  Stars  before  him  from  the  Field  of  Night, 

Drives  Night  along  with  them  from  Heav'n,  and  strikes 
The  Sultan's  Turret  with  a  Shaft  of  Light. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


CHARACTERS 

ASANO  YO-AKE,  The  Lord  of  Moto  and  Shima. 

TOKIYORI,  his  son. 

SUKI  SHIMADZU,  Lord  Suzerain  of  Tsushima. 

KiKU-Ko  (chrysanthemum),  his  daughter. 

NAKAHARA,  a  Seer. 

LORD  SAITO,  of  Satsuma. 

His   ILLUSTRIOUS   HIGHNESS,   PRINCE   MATSUO 

GOTO,  once  Lord  of  the  North. 
TARO,  his  nephew. 
Nui-Ko  san 


~        „  r    Sisters. 

Tovo-Ko  san    ) 

SABURO-IKEDA,  once  of  the  Shogun's  Baka-fu. 
REN-Ko  (Lotus),  The  Breath  of  Mukojima,  his 

Daughter. 

LORD  SAKURAI,  of  Niijima. 
MIDZU-HARA,  a  Protege  of  Dawn. 
MATA,  his  Stepfather;  Captain  of  the  Yo-Ake 

samurai. 

YAMAKI,  Proprietor  of  the  yadoya,  Ko-Matsu. 
TANAKA,  Host  of  the  two  houses,  The  Jewel 

River. 

A  Gateman  of  the  O-mon  of  Shima. 
AYSIA,  also  a  Lord  of  Dawn. 
Samurai;  Servants ;  Jinricksha  men ;  Villagers ; 

Hanashika;  Oiiran;  Geisha;  Hokan. 


***  At  the  end  of  the  volume  will  be  found  a 
Glossary  of  the  Japanese  words  and  phrases 
used  throughout  the  book. 


PROLOGUE 


Dreaming,  when  Dawn's  Left  Hand  was  in  the  Sky, 
I  heard  a  Voice  within  the  Tavern  cry, 

"Awake,  my  Little  ones,  and  fill  the  Cup 
Before  Life's  Liquor  in  its  Cup  be  dry." — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IT  WAS  the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  month — in  the  Occidental 
manner  of  reckoning  time,  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty- four — and  the  fear  tears  of  the  rain  goddess  were  drying 
fast,  for  the  storm  god  had  departed,  traveling  rapidly  on  beyond 
the  outer  harbor  of  Yedo  bay,  where  Perry's  flotilla  of  "Foreign" 
men-o'-war  tugged  menacingly  at  their  moorings. 

The  typhoon  which  had  raged  for  hours  in  and  about  the  city 
of  Yedo,  the  Estuary  Gate,  had  spent  itself,  and  passed  on  toward 


4  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

where,    faintly   outlined   by   distance,    Fuji-no-yama   upshot   its 
crest  well  into  the  veil  of  the  evening. 

A  crow  cawed  cautiously,  and  but  for  the  low  moaning  wail  of 
the  weary  sea,  blissful  stillness  reigned  over  the  city,  from  the 
Shiba  woodlands  to  where  the  dark  Sumida  flows. 

Slow  rose  the  moon — a  Japan  moon — dripping  its  water  jewels 
through  the  Shiba  foliage  on  the  cairns  of  past  and  gone  Shoguns 
of  the  Tokugawa  house;  until,  finally,  it  shot  through  the  sylvan 
bough  fringe,  penciling  with  the  touch  of  a  rare  artist  some  near- 
by walls,  reared  to  gird  a  noble  castle.  From  these  it  glinted  on 
the  curved  eaves  of  a  low,  rambling  nagaya,  or  barracks,  that 
seemed  literally  to  grow  into  the  very  ramparts  themselves,  flood- 
ing the  intervening  space  between  them  and  the  yashiki,  or  manor 
house,  with  liquid  phosphorescence. 

In  an  upper  room  of  this  yashiki  two  men — daimios,  or  nobles, 
evidently  by  dress,  bearing  and  presence — were  peering  down 
through  an  open  window  to  where,  in  the  courtyard,  and  well 
within  ear-shot,  a  group  of  castle  retainers  were  gathered  about 
an  old  man  who  sat,  or  rather  squatted,  upon  a  mat,  puffing  at  his 
pipe. 

"Tell  us  a  legend,  O  Nakahara,"  requested  a  deep  voice  from 
among  those  who  enclosed  the  old  man  in  a  rude  sort  of  semi- 
circle; "a  legend  of  samurai  and  sword." 
"A-a-a-a!"  chorused  the  bystanders. 

Nakahara,  the  castle  hanashika,  or  actor  story-teller,  scooped 
the  embers  in  the  brazier  bowl  of  his  hibatchi,  and  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe  into  the  bamboo  tube  of  his  tobakobon.  Then 
he  bowed  to  the'  north,  to  the  east,  and  finally  sat  gazing  steadily 
westwards,  so  that  his  audience  might  know  it  was  of  that  quar- 
ter he  would  tell. 

"In  the  beginning,"  commenced  Nakahara,  quietly,  "was  the 
sword,  and  it  was  to  the  soul  of  the  samurai  as  are  the  strings  of 
a  koto  to  the  harper's  fingers.  For  neither  have  in  themselves  any 
life,  saving  that  which  is  drawn  from  the  touch  of  a  knight  or 
minstrel. 

"A  great  town  once  reared  its  golden  walls  to  guard  a  faraway 
land,  and  a  winding,  oft-hidden  roadway  led  to  this  City  of  De- 


PROLOGUE  5 

sire.  Adown  this  glade  had  passed  in  their  time  many  a  prince, 
lord,  soldier,  beggar  and  son  of  toil,  all  intent  upon  reaching  its 
gates.  Yet,  because  the  way  was  dark  in  parts,  and  fraught  often 
with  pitfalls,  none  had  as  yet  come  anigh  to  this  Golden  City. 

"Now  among  the  varied  wayfarers  who  chanced  along  this  road 
was  a  masterless  samurai,  who,  having  lately  lost  service  through 
the  disgrace  of  his  lord,  had  turned  ronin — 'wave-man' — errant. 
And  he,  too,  strove  toward  this  City  of  Desire,  hoping  to  place  his 
sword  at  the  service  of,  what  he  imagined,  must  be  a  most  won- 
drous ruler.  And  so  wrapt  in  his  one  purpose  was  this  ronin 
samurai  that  he  strode  along  heedless  of  all  else  until,  at  last, 
overcome  with  utter  weariness,  he  sank  upon  the  moss  carpet 
that  ran  in  strips  along  either  side  of  this  roadway.  Reclining 
thus,  he  beheld  other  travelers  struggling  toward  the  same  goal, 
some  wandering  across  adjacent  fields  in  search  of  shorter  cuts, 
some  lingering  to  sport  with  the  little  fish  in  the  brooks  and  play 
with  the  flowers.  But  it  was  plain  to  him  that  none  of  these  would 
ever  attain  thus  to  the  golden  City  of  Desire.  And  now  the  night 
was  coming  on  apace,  and  still  the  gates  of  the  city  appeared  as 
far  from  him  as  ever.  Then  spake  the  ronin  samurai,  and  said : 
"'This  road  leads  to  No-Land.  The  City  of  Desire  is  but  a  myth. 
And  so  do  I  perceive,  at  last,  that  the  words  of  men  are  foul  and 
of  no  light.  For  this  roadway  is  but  a  wallow  wherein  do  all  who 
listen  to  that  talk  of  foolishness  become  caught.  And  now  that  the 
red  sun  has  sunk  behind  yon  forest,  I  see  that  it  is  indeed  but  the 
beginning  and  ending  of  Naught.  I  can  go  neither  backwards, 
nor  forwards, nor  may  I  remain  where  I  now  am.  Therefore,  there 
is  left  me  but  to  commit  the  seppuku,  and  go  to  my  fathers.' 

"The  ronin  prepared  to  disembowel  himself." 

The  wily  old  story-teller,  well  aware  that  his  audience  was  ex- 
cited to  the  highest  pitch,  broke  off  abruptly,  making  pretense  that 
his  hibatchi  needed  re-scooping.  It  was  the  culmination  of  his  art. 
Overhead,  in  the  room  of  the  yashiki  where  the  paper-paned 
shoji  stood  ajar,  the  slightly  elder  of  the  two  noblemen  smiled, 
and  turned  his  head  toward  his  companion  listener. 

"A  poor  story,"  he  observed,  for  he  was  the  daimio,  or  lord  of 
the  great  castle,  and  could  not,  of  course,  sound  the  praises  of  his 


O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

own  servant,  "yet,  in  a  measure,  very  true  to  life.  Like  Nakahara's 
ronin,  we  each  have  in  our  material  existences  a  very  pregnant 
City  of  Desire,  but  how  few  of  us  ever  realize  its  materialization. 
Humanly,  the  perfect  City  of  Desire  is  rarely  attainable;  its  path- 
way almost  impregnable  to  mortal  feet." 

"Nay,"  replied  the  second  nobleman,  earnestly,  "believe  me,  Yo- 
Ake,  you  err  there.  There  exists,  I  am  convinced,  a  broad,  well- 
blazoned  road  to  this  City  of  Desire.  In  the  past  we  have  failed  to 
find  it  because  we  have  sought  it  by  the  aid  of  the  sword  alone. 
Yet  I  am  sure  there  is  a  better,  straighter  and  clearer  way  that 
leads  to  it.  It  may  be  discovered  by  those  who  will  seek  it  with  an 
humble  purpose,  diligently,  warily  and  observantly.  Your  hana- 
shika  is  looking  up  from  his  hibatchi.  I  think  he  will  direct  his 
ronin  upon  this  road  of  which  I  speak." 

The  last  speaker,  Lord  Suki  Shimadzu,  Suzerain  of  the  Island 
Dependency  of  Tsushima,  had  voiced  convictions  that  were  al- 
most occult  in  their  presage.  He  was  under  immediate  sentence  of 
death  from  the  Shogun,  for  having  presumed  to  open  his  island 
port  to  "Foreign"  traffic,  while  the  question  of  the  United  States' 
demands,  borne  to  Nippon  by  Commodore  Perry,  was  yet  under- 
going debate.  It  was  this,  indeed,  that  had  brought  him  from 
Tsushima  on  so  unexpected  a  visit  to  Shima  castle,  within  the 
Shiba  woodlands  in  Yedo,  and  the  corresponding  consultation 
with  his  present  companion,  its  master,  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake. 

At  last  Nakahara's  audience  were  beginning  to  evince  a  spirit 
of  restiveness.  A  child  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  whimpered. 
Nakahara  continued : 

"Then,  as  the  ronin  turned  the  point  of  his  sword  toward  his  ab- 
domen to  disembowel  himself,  according  to  the  honored  rite  of 
seppuku — thinking,  thus  only,  to  attain  to  the  City  of  Desire — an 
old  crow,  perched  in  the  branches  overhead,  cawed  to  him  in  this 
wise : 

"'O  samurai,  be  no  longer  blinded  by  the  legends  of  the  blade, 
for  that  way  lie  but  the  centuries  that  are  gone,  and  thou  would'st 
travel  to  the  City  of  Desire/ 

"'This  road  leads  true,  but  thou  hast  become  so  enwrapt  with  the 
traditions  of  Bushido  only,  that  other  knowledge  is  hidden  from 
thee.' 


PROLOGUE  7 

"'Cast  away  that  sword,  which  serves  now  but  to  clog  thy  for- 
ward stride,  and,  forgetting  that  thou  art  a  samurai,  observe,  as  do 
the  tillers  of  the  fields,  what  hath  gone  before  thee,  and  how/ 
"'So,  only,  may'st  thou  find  the  road  to  this  City  of  Desire/ 
"  'Often  through  tangle,  quagmire,  and  wastes  that  are  very  foul 
and  dangerous,  does  this  road  run.  Yet  must  thou  follow  patient- 
ly, steadfastly  and  humbly,  ever  placing  thy  feet  in  the  steps  of 
those  who  have  preceded  thee,  until  thou  can'st  learn  to  walk 
along  it  alone.  Thus  shalt  thou  surely  come  at  last  to  the  City  of 
Desire/ 

"'But,'  said  the  ronin  samurai,  'how  may  I  find  the  right  direc- 
tion?' 

'"Thou  shalt  look  into  the  Heavens,'  quoth  the  crow,  'as  the  red 
sun  wanes  and  droops.  And  there  shalt  thou  behold  three  stars — 
HUMILITY,  VIGILANCE  and  PROGRESSION.  They  shall  be  thy  guid- 
ance, ever ;  and  when  thou  hast  followed  the  three  to  the  end  shall 
they  lead  thee  to  the  City  of  Desire/ 

"The  crow,  having  spoken  thus,  flighted  to  a  far-away  copse,  the 
clouds  parting  to  let  it  through.  In  the  rift  the  samurai  beheld  the 
sheen  of  the  great  city.  The  sun  was  flooding  the  ramparts  and 
flashing  on  the  headpieces  of  the  warders  who  tramped  their  vigil- 
watches  on  the  battlements.  Then  the  day  sank,  and,  saving  for 
a  wan  handful  of  stars,  all  was  darkness.  The  ronin  looked  to  the 
north,  to  the  east  and  to  the  west.  And  lo !  three  stars  suddenly 
dropped  earthwards  to  shoot  their  messages  to  him.  Then  the  rift 
closed.  The  ronin,  breaking  his  sword  across  his  knee,  arose. 

"Said  the  ronin  samurai,  'I  follow'." 

The  dawn  of  the  next  day  found  but  one  of  the  two  noblemen 
still  in  the  overhead  room  of  the  yashiki  in  the  Shiba  woodlands — 
Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake,  daimio  of  Shima  castle.  According  to  the 
ancient  usages  of  the  code  of  Bushido — that  code  which  demand- 
ed the  self-immolation  of  one  of  its  order  rather  than  public  dis- 
grace for  offense  given — Lord  Shimadzu  had  committed  seppuku, 
that  is  he  had,  by  right  of  his  rank,  disemboweled  himself  in  the 
presence  of  emissaries  of  the  Shogun.  Already  had  the  Sho- 
gun's  emissaries  departed,  leaving  as  the  result  of  their  visit  the 


8  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

headless  trunk  of  Lord  Suki  Shimadzu — a  cadet  of  the  princely 
family  of  Satsuma — who  had  thus  expiated  his  offense  of  opening 
his  Island  of  Tsushima  to  "Foreign"  traffic.  In  his  hand  Lord  Yo- 
Ake  held  some  newly  sealed  documents,  which  he  thoughtfully 
perused.  Of  the  contents  of  two  he  was  aware.  One  appointed 
him  guardian  to  the  young  lady  Kiku-ko,  the  five-year  old,  parent- 
less  daughter  of  Lord  Shimadzu.  Another  ratified  a  pact  of  mar- 
riage between  this  little  girl  and  the  only  child  of  Lord  Yo-Ake — 
Tokiyori,  a  lad  of  some  sixteen  years.  The  third,  and  last  docu- 
ment, was  a  letter  from  her  dying  father  to  Kiku-ko,  not  to  be 
opened  until  the  eve  of  her  marriage  with  Lord  Yo-Ake's  son.  All 
three  documents  were  in  order,  absolute  and  valid. 

Lord  Yo-Ake  was  pleased  with  them — that  is,  the  two  of 
whose  contents  he  knew.  The  union  of  his  son  with  Shimadzu's 
heiress  would  cement  ties  between  his  own  family  and  that  of  the 
Prince  of  Satsuma.  And,  as  chief  councilor  to  the  Shogun,  he 
doubted  not  his  ability  to  prevail  upon  the  Tokugawa  prince  for 
the  restoration  of  her  father's  estates  to  Kiku-ko,  escheat  to  the 
Shogun  because  of  the  manner  of  Lord  Shimadzu's  death. 

Yet,  gratifying  as  were  these  documents  to  Lord  Yo-Ake,  his 
mind  was  heavily  troubled  because  of  the  shadow  thrown  across 
the  Island  Empire  by  the  flotilla  of  Commodore  Perry,  United 
States  emissary  to  Nippon,  whose  visit  he  felt  implied  something 
beyond  the  courteous  requests  and  demands  made  by  that  country, 
although  what  that  "something"  was  he  could  not  fathom. 

"Beyond  us,"  he  reasoned,  "lies  a  great  sea;  ri  on  ri  of  foaming, 
intervening  waters.  And,  beyond  that — what?  Enlightenment? 
Yes,  undoubtedly  enlightenment — then  power.  Or  how  else  could 
any  one  nation  force  our  gates?  Why  do  these  'Foreigners'  come 
to  our  shores  with  their  armaments  and  demands?  They  can  have 
nothing  in  common  with  us,  therefore  there  must  be  something, 
yet  hidden,  they  expect  to  gain  from  us.  It  is  that  something  we 
must  seek  and  discover  quickly.  Some  day,  if  we  wait  long 
enough,  it  may  be  made  clear  to  us,  yet  some  day  is  but  the  em- 
bryo in  the  laboring  womb  of  today,  and  whether  it  will  be  still  or 
living,  who  knows?" 

He  arose  and  paced  the  apartment  restlessly. 


PROLOGUE  9 

"In  the  meantime,"  he  continued,  "these  'Foreigners'  have  come 
among  us  with  the  evident  intention  of  staying.  If  we  drive  this 
tithe  from  our  shores,  an  hundred  will  follow,  and  a  thousand, 
and  an  hundred  thousand;  drifting  here  and  there  like  the  sea 
sands,  and  covering  everything  in  their  drift.  But  if  we  make 
them  welcome  now,  they  may  in  time  come  to  have  an  affection 
for  us.  To  them  we,  in  our  weakness,  doubtless  resemble  children. 
Perchance  they  may  think  to  teach  our  toddling  feet  to  walk.  Yet 
the  babe  grows  strong  when  his  time  is  come,  and  able  to  run 
swiftly  when  those  who  taught  him  can  scarcely  hobble." 

A  sudden  inspiration  came  to  him,  and  he  bent  his  head  while 
it  took  possession.  It  seemed  to  him  as  though  a  voice — the  voice 
of  his  dead  wife — had  whispered.  A  moment  he  remained  listen- 
ing, then  he  raised  his  eyes  to  a  little  shrine  in  which  was  an  ihai 
— a  tablet — bearing  her  posthumous  name,  and  before  which  a 
small  lamp  burned  day  and  night. 

"So  be  it,  Ume-ko,"  he  exclaimed  suddenly,  as  though  in  answer. 
"Why  should  we  wait  so  long  for  the  knowledge  we  need  so  badly 
now?  Our  son  shall  journey  to  'Foreign'  lands  to  discover  and 
bring  home  that  secret  to  us." 

Six  weeks  later  a  norimono — the  counterpart  of  which  is  the 
sedan-chair  used  in  the  Occident  in  the  eighteenth  century,  or  the 
Eastern  palanquin — stood,  surrounded  by  an  escort  of  samurai,  on 
the  beach  at  Nagasaki.  A  boat  was  plying  between  the  landing  and 
a  three-masted  sailing  ship,  from  which  flew  the  Dutch  flag,  the 
ship  being  apparently  ready  to  heave  anchor  and  stand  out  to  sea. 
Near  the  norimono  stood  two  men,  Japanese — or,  rather,  a  man 
and  a  boy,  the  former  perhaps  eight-and-thirty  years  of  age,  the 
younger  possibly  sixteen,  slightly  built  and  a  trifle  stoop  shoul- 
dered. In  repose  the  contour  of  their  faces  was  markedly  similar, 
saving  that  the  boy's  lacked  somewhat  the  iron  determination  in 
the  set  jaws  and  lips  of  the  man,  and  the  latter's  broad  sweep  of 
massive  forehead.  Yet  in  the  features  of  the  lad  were  neither  ef- 
feminacy nor  weakness,  but  rather  a  more  studious,  gentle  purpose 
and  personality,  while  finer  lines  of  poetry  and  sentiment  showed 
themselves  in  his  deep-set  eyes,  sculptured  in  a  softer  portraiture 


IO  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

of  the  elder's,  and  in  the  over-sensitive  droop  of  the  mouth.  A 
face,  you  would  say,  capable  of  great  love  and  great  suffering, 
coupled  with  a  shy,  almost  shrinking  disposition.  The  man  ad- 
dressed the  boy  in  a  low  tone  of  voice. 

"Tokiyori,  my  son,  the  moment  for  our  farewells  has  come,  and 
it  will  be  long,  I  fear,  before  we  set  eyes  upon  each  other  again. 
Kano,  our  chief  of  household  council,  has  arranged  all  matters 
for  you  pertaining  to  finances,  so  you  need  give  yourself  no  un- 
easiness upon  that  score.  In  all  things  it  is  my  desire  that  you 
bear  yourself  as  a  Yo-Ake.  So  much  for  the  social  side  of  your 
voyagings.' 

"But  while  your  travels  may  appear  to  others  as  a  mere  pleasure 
visit  by  a  young  Nipponese  nobleman  to  'Foreign'  capitols,  there 
is  a  serious  hidden  issue  involved  in  them,  and  it  is  this  that  will 
tax  all  your  powers  of  observance,  deduction  and  memory.  Above 
all,  and  before  all,  I  desire  that  with  your  return  to  me  you  shall 
bring  with  you  a  full  and  accurate  account  of,  not  only  the  social 
customs  of  the  'Barbarians/  but  the  political,  military  and  geo- 
graphical movements  of  the  whole  outer  world.  More  particularly 
— and  bear  this  well  in  mind,  Tokiyori — there  must  be  some  one 
keynote  to  this  recent  descent  of  theirs  upon  our  shores.  You 
must  bend  every  faculty  to  the  discovering  of  that  keynote,  its 
name  and  significance.  On  it  may  hinge  the  whole  future  of  our 
Island  Empire.  All  this  is,  I  fear,  a  severe  task  to  lay  upon  one  so 
young  and  inexperienced  as  yourself ;  yet  I  have  a  full  belief  that 
you  will  succeed  in  your  errand,  and  that  the  making  of  the  suc- 
cess will  be  your  own  making. 

"And  now,  my  son,  I  see  that  the  boat  has  returned  to  bear  you 
to  your  ship  and  away  from  Nippon  and  your  father.  Swear,  be- 
fore you  depart, that  by  the  gods  of  our  house  and  the  ihai  of  your 
dead  mother  you  will  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  accomplish  the 
purpose  of  your  travels,  and  that  before  all  else  shall  ever  come 
with  you,  Nippon  the  Mikado  and  the  Yo-Ake." 

The  lad  bent  his  head  to  the  ground  before  his  father. 

"I  swear  it,  father,"  said  he.  "If  I  fail  may  my  country,  the  Mi- 
kado and  my  kin  forget  my  name." 

"So  be  it,"  acknowledged  his  father  in  a  voice  which,  by  an  iron 


PROLOGUE  II 

effort,  he  effaced  of  sentiment.  "Farewell,  my  son.  The  gods  have 
you  in  their  keeping — farewell." 

A  long  time  the  man  stood  peering  from  beneath  bent  brows  at 
the  great  ship  as  her  sails,  spreading  to  the  yards,  bellied  to  the 
stiff  harbor  breeze.  Then  with  a  creaking  of  cordage  and  shouting 
of  orders  she  began  slowly  to  veer  toward  the  harbor  mouth.  A 
small  dot  stood  on  the  poop  intently  watching  the  shores  as  the 
ship  receded.  Lord  Yo-Ake  stretched  forth  his  hands  to  it. 

"O,  Tokiyori,"  he  whispered,  the  dry,  pent-up  sobs  almost  chok- 
ing him,  "my  boy,  Tokiyori !  How  like  the  withered  bough  on  au- 
tumn-stricken tree  am  I,  when  the  leaves,  in  all  their  beauty,  are 
taken  from  it.  The  winter  blasts  may  bend  me  now  at  their  will, 
for  that  which  I  put  forth  upon  me  is  gone,  and  in  the  chill  and 
darkness  am  I  alone — a  naked  branch.  So  must  I  wait  until  a  new 
spring  shall  see  thee  re-budding  on  me — my  boy !  my  boy !" 

The  ship  was  no  more  than  a  tiny  speck  against  the  horizon 
when  Lord  Yo-Ake  turned  and  entered  his  norimono. 


PART  I 

In  the  beginning  was  the  sword 

LEGEND   OF  ONE, NAKAHARA, 

HANASHIKA  TO 

LORD  YO-AKE 


r 


I 

THE  GARDEN  BY  THE  WATER 

Irdm  indeed  is  gone  with  all  its  Rose, 

And  Jamshyd's  Sev'n-ring'd  Cup  where  no  one  knows; 

But  still  the  Vine  her  ancient  Ruby  yields, 
And  still  a  Garden  by  the  Water  blows. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

A  WARM,  early  summer  day  of  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  was  drawing  to  its  close  as  the  old  bell  of 
Miidera  intoned  a  deep-mouthed  angelus.  By  the  water's  edge,  a 
little  knot  of  men  arose,  and  turned  their  faces  to  where  a  stately 
castle  towered  placidly  over  the  lake,  yet  with  evident  reluctance. 


l6  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

They  were  samurai,  or  military  retainers,  of  Moto  castle,  the 
stately  pile  that  housed  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake  when  on  his  Lake 
Biwa  estate,  three  hundred  miles  from  his  castle  of  Shima,  in  the 
city  of  Yedo.  Mata,  who  commanded  the  garrison  at  Moto,  pre- 
served an  iron  discipline ;  and  scant  excuse  was  allowed  loiterers 
of  his  command  who  came  not  under  the  great  gateway  before  the 
sun  had  gone  down.  Yet,  even  in  the  knowledge  of  this,  the  samurai 
walked  to  their  rendezvous  with  many  a  backward  glance  at  the 
bloodshot  crest  of  Ishiyama,  and  the  crimson  stain  on  the  arches 
of  Seta  Bridge;  so  that  the  last  laggard  had  scarce  reached  the 
massive  castle  entrance  before  the  reverberating  of  the  great  bell 
sank  into  the  heart  of  the  quivering  shadows.  Then,  saving  for 
the  chirp  of  a  cheery  little  cricket,  and  a  crow's  drowsy  good-night 
caw  from  some  nearby  copse,  the  quietest  hour  of  the  day  de- 
scended upon  Biwa-ko,  the  Guitar  Lake.  Even  in  the  landscape 
of  Nippon  was  blent  the  sword  and  the  song. 

The  samurai  having  entered  the  castle  enclosure,  filed  off  to 
their  nagaya,  the  great  gates  of  Moto  shutting  to  for  the  night 
with  a  muffled  clang.  A  young  lady  descended  a  small  pathway 
that  led  from  the  yashiki  to  a  little  brook,  pausing  to  re-arrange 
a  flower  that  had  fallen  from  her  hair,  and  give  a  little  feminine 
touch  to  the  folds  of  her  obi — a  beautiful  sash  encircling  her 
kimono.  Altogether  she  was  as  typically  Japanese  as  the  surround- 
ings themselves — Japanese  of  the  old,  dreamy,  artistic  Japan;  and 
could  not  have  been  more  than  seventeen  years  of  age.  Slight  of 
form  she  was — gracefully  slender  rather,  for  she  was  but  unfold- 
ing into  the  flower  of  womanhood,  while  her  features  might  be 
described  as  demure  and  pretty,  rather  than  beautiful.  There  was 
an  unmistakable  aureola  of  breeding  about  her  that  hall-marked 
her  the  born  aristocrat,  requiring  no  informant  to  point  out  that 
she  was  an  inmate  of  the  daimio's  residence,  which  perched  just 
above  her  on  a  mound  of  mossy  rocks  overlooking  the  castle  walls, 
and  commanded  a  view  of  the  lake  itself.  At  the  low,  curving 
bridge  which  spanned  the  brook  she  paused,  gazing  into  the  foliage 
of  a  woodland  glade  that  lay  between  the  yashiki  and  the  taiko- 
yagura,  or  drum-turret,  as  though  expecting  someone  to  emerge 
therefrom,  perhaps  some  knight-errant  in  gallant  armor,  to  help 
her  while  away  the  evening  hour. 


THE  GARDEN  BY  THE  WATER  I/ 

Indeed,  if  ever  a  copse  could  have  yielded  a  fairy  prince,  that 
of  Moto  might,  as  it  overhung  the  brook  which  flowed  down  in 
tiny  cascades  like  little  strips  of  fragile  lace — sheer  lace,  into  the 
delicate  tracery  of  which  seemed  to  have  been  inlaid,  jade,  and 
onyx,  and  jasper,  so  exquisite  was  the  verdure  which  it  mirrored. 
Presently,  a  number  of  little  lights  commenced  to  twinkle  among 
the  lower  boughs,  and  the  clickety-clack  of  clogs  announced  to  her 
that  someone  was  approaching  from  the  grove.  She  stepped  on  to 
the  bridge,  pausing  about  midway,  and,  simultaneously,  a  little, 
wizened  old  fellow  appeared  from  beneath  the  sylvan  growth,  and 
came  to  her  side,  bowing  low. 

"I  perceive,  by  the  breath  of  the  evening,  your  presence  Lady 
Kiku-ko,"  he  observed,  his  face  wrinkling  into  a  thousand  genial 
smiles. 

"And  I  perceive  your  presence  by  the  opening  eyes,  Nakahara," 
answered  the  young  lady  addressed  as  Kiku-ko.  She  pointed  to  the 
newly  lighted  lanterns  as  she  spoke.  It  was  their  customary  even- 
ing greeting  to  one  another. 

Nakahara,  the  castle  hanashika,  or  actor  story-teller,  was  some- 
what of  a  privileged  character.  He  had  been  in  the  service  of  the 
Yo-Ake  household  for  well  nigh  three-quarters  of  a  century — 
when  the  father  of  the  present  lord,  Asano  Yo-Ake,  was  still  a 
young  man,  and  had  witnessed  many  changes  in  the  great  family 
he  so  faithfully  served.  But  although  now  feeble  with  increasing 
age,  he  still  tended  his  lanterns,  and  told  his  stories  with  all  the 
zest  of  his  former  youth.  Drawing  forth  his  pipe  and  tobacco 
pouch,  he  prepared  to  pass  a  few  of  his  evening  moments  in  the 
company  of  his  lord's  ward,  the  betrothed  of  his  absent  young 
master,  Lord  Tokiyori.  The  moon  had  risen,  and  was  just  peering 
over  the  castle  wall  to  play  on  bridge  and  brook.  Old  Nakahara 
squatted  on  his  heels  to  light  his  pipe,  and  the  moon  fell  upon  his 
upturned  countenance,  transfiguring  it  with  a  sort  of  ethereal 
light.  Kiku-ko,  truly  Japanese  in  her  love  of  mystic  beauty, 
stretched  forth  her  hands  to  the  moon. 

"O  thou  of  the  night,"  said  she,  after  the  fashion  of  the  maidens 
of  her  country,  "whom  the  wise  men  say  can  look  across  the  whole 
world,  tell  me  of  my  native  Isle  of  Tsushima,  and  the  angry  seas 


l8  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

beyond  where  dwell  the  'Barbarians.'  When  you  leave  us  do  you 
turn  ronin — wave-man — masterless  wanderer  without  country  or 
kin,  to  watch  over  the  steps  of  my  betrothed?  Give  me  a  sign 
from  the  heavens,  Moon,  I  pray." 

Nakahara  inwardly  approved  the  sentiments  thus  expressed  by 
his  future  mistress.  As  the  affianced  of  his  young  lord  it  seemed 
to  him  eminently  commendable  that  she  should  be  as  anxious  as 
was  himself,  or  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake,  concerning  the  prolonged 
absence  of  the  future  master  of  the  castle.  Of  late,  Nakahara  had 
begun  to  fear  that  Kiku-ko's  cousin,  the  already  famous  young 
samurai,  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma,  was  causing  her  to  forget  the  ab- 
sent heir.  He  could  not  understand,  either,  why  Tokiyori's  own 
father,  his  feudal  lord,  should  countenance  these  rather  too  fre- 
quent visits  of  Lord  Saito  to  Moto — frequent,  that  is,  since  the 
budding  into  womanhood  of  Kiku-ko.  He  was  a  very  gentle  old 
fellow,  was  Nakahara,  yet,  at  times,  intense  in  his  likes  and  dis- 
likes. Among  the  latter,  for  some  reason  not  fully  comprehensible 
even  to  himself,  was  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma. 
"Very  well  asked,  mistress,"  observed  Nakahara  anent  Kiku-ko's 
question  of  the  moon.  "And  in  the  face  of  the  Lady  of  the  Night 
herself  do  I  read  the  answer." 

Kiku-ko  clapped  her  shapely  hands  delightedly.  It  was  ever 
considered  a  great  privilege  that  the  old  hanashika  should  weave 
romances  for  anyone  in  especial.  Once  before  had  he  told  a  golden 
tale  for  her  own  delectation,  concerning  some  famous  deed  of 
swordsmanship  in  which  Lord  Saito  had  been  prominent,  and 
which  was  for  the  moment  the  prideful  talk  of  all  samurai.  Naka- 
hara had  picked  up  the  bare  threads  among  the  soldiery  at  the 
nagaya,and  delicately  interwoven  them  into  a  charming  and  thrill- 
ing story.  This,  needless  to  say,  was  in  the  days  before  Lord  Saito 
had  given  offense  to  the  old  man  by  frequenting  the  presence  of 
Kiku-ko,  and  his  prowess  had  been  blazoned  by  Nakahara  solely 
with  an  artist's  eye  to  effect.  Nakahara  now  repented  that  tale — 
he  had  come  to  fear  its  possible  result — and  this  time  was  deter- 
mined to  paint  so  glowing  a  picture  of  his  absent  master  that  all 
memory  of  that  former  error  should  be  erased  or, at  least, eclipsed. 
He  pointed  with  the  stem  of  his  pipe  at  the  moon,  which  was  now 
nearly  over  the  castle  walls. 


THE  GARDEN  BY  THE  WATER  ig 

"In  the  face  of  the  Queen  of  the  Night,"  said  Nakahara,  "is  a 
great  ocean  girt  by  fierce,  bleak  mountains — you  can  see  them 
plainly  if  you  will  but  observe,  my  Lady."  He  traced  an  imagin- 
ary circle  about  a  heavy  shadowing  on  the  moon.  "One  mountain, 
above  all  the  others,"  he  continued,  "stands  forth  prominently.  It 
is  the  mountain  of  Knowledge,  very  lofty  and  almost  impregna- 
ble. Yet  I  see  a  form  clambering  upwards  along  its  precipitous 
cliffs,  while  other  forms  atop  of  the  mountain  crest  are  rolling 
obstructions  across  his  path,  lest  he  attain  to  the  summit  and 
crowd  them  off.  Below  him  are  many  watchers,  hopeful  that  he 
may  succeed  in  his  effort,  so  that  he  may  call  down  to  them  of 
what  is  hidden  on  the  high  peak.  Now  he  is  just  below  the  last 
ascent,  but  the  crags  there  have  become  so  sheer  that  he  can  not 
encompass  them.  He  must  retrace  his  steps,  and  again  start  climb- 
ing from  another  point.  As  he  turns  his  face  to  descend,  I  note  his 
features.  They  are  those  of  my  young  lord,  Tokiyori." 

Nakahara  paused  to  note  the  effect  of  his  symbolism,  while 
Kiku-ko  still  gazed  at  the  moon  as  though  following  the  downward 
course  of  the  climber.  He  felt,  somehow,  that  his  tale  had  lacked 
a  convincing  fire,  and  had  failed  to  convey  its  true  key.  He  began 
to  wish  that  he  had  depicted  some  other  scene,  wherein,  for 
choice,  a  fight  against  terrible  odds  had  occurred  between  the 
climber  and  some  supposititious  mountain  banditti,  Kiku-ko's  next 
remark  still  further  convinced  him  that  she  had  failed  to  compre- 
hend the  hidden  depths  of  his  allegory. 

"It  seems  a  tedious  climb  for  one  to  undertake  merely  to  attain 
to  a  mountain  top,"  she  observed.  "Would  it  not  have  been  wiser 
for  him  to  have  waited  until  those  on  the  plateau  must  descend, 
and  then  have  forced  them  at  the  sword  point  to  divulge  the  secret 
of  the  crest?" 

Nakahara  felt  at  a  loss.  He  was  forced  to  admit  to  himself  that 
Kiku-ko's  manner  of  viewing  the  matter  was  quite  natural  to  one 
of  her  romantic  and  chivalric  upbringing.  It  was  too  late,  how- 
ever, to  retell  the  story  in  another  way. 

"The  sword  may  not  always  prove  the  best  means  of  knowledge," 
he  objected,  quietly. 

"The  sword  is  the  soul  of  the  samurai',"  quoted  Kiku-ko  from 
a  time-honored  proverb  of  the  land. 


2O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Of  the  samurai,  but  not  of  the  people,"  corrected  Nakahara. 

"It  was  the  soul  of  my  fathers,"  asserted  Kiku-ko,  with  a  pretty 
display  of  martial  spirit,  "and  what  was  my  father's  is  mine.  And 
it  is  the  soul  of  our  young  noblemen  of  today,  like  my  cousin  Lord 
Saito,  who  has  raised  himself  by  it  to  be  a  commander  of  men." 

"It  would  not  so  greatly  matter  about  its  being  their  soul  if  it 
were  not  their  brains  as  well,"  commented  old  Nakahara,  dryly,  as 
he  arose  to  his  feet  and  lighted  a  stone  toro — a  fantastically 
shapen  lantern— at  one  end  of  the  bridge.  This  lighting  of  his  lan- 
terns was  a  solemn  ceremony  to  Nakahara.  He  would  touch  the 
spark  to  the  wick,  murmuring  "irasshai,"  just  as  an  attendant 
ushers  one  into  a  theatre.  Then,  as  it  ignited,  he  would  bow  to  it, 
saying  "komban  wa."  His  toro  now  alight,  Nakahara  bowed  to  his 
lady. 

"I  have  my  other  lanterns  to  attend  still,"  said  he,  realizing  the 
futility  of  further  appeal  to  Kiku-ko's  comprehension.  "And  as 
my  lanterns  and  I  depend  on  each  other  for  eyes,  we  can  neither 
of  us  afford  to  neglect  the  other.  With  your  gracious  permission, 
mistress,  I  will  retire." 

Kiku-ko  stood  watching  the  little  old  actor  story-teller  as  he 
clogged  off  up  the  shrubbery  pathway  that  led  to  the  yashiki,  and 
then  continued  on  her  way  across  the  bridge.  Nearby  was  a  bower, 
rich  with  hanging  clusters  of  wistaria  bloom.  As  she  descended 
from  the  bridge  toward  this,  she  became  aware  of  a  form  emerg- 
ing from  the  glade,  which  strode  swiftly  to  her  with  a  firm,  mas- 
terly step.  As  the  moonlight  fell  across  his  features  it  revealed  a 
strong,  handsome  face,  well  bred  and  finely  chiseled.  By  his  side 
he  wore  two  swords.  He  bowed  gracefully  to  Kiku-ko  as  he  came 
up  with  her. 

"The  night  is  so  beautiful  that  I  felt  that  you  must  be  near," 
said  he. 

Kiku-ko  started  slightly. 

"Oh !  it  is  you,  cousin  Saito,"  she  exclaimed.  "You  frighted  me. 
I  half  thought  you  a  ronin  of  the  moon." 
Lord  Saito  bowed  gravely  to  the  moon. 

"I  am  complimented,"  he  answered.  "Yet  mayhap  you  are  not  so 
far  wrong,  for  where  better  could  a  moon  ronin  fare  than  in  the 
silver  of  your  presence?" 


THE  GARDEN   BY  THE  WATER  21 

Kiku-ko  half  hid  her  face,  laughingly,  behind  the  fan  she  car- 
ried. 

"I  chanced  to  be  in  Kyoto,"  he  continued,  "and  seized  this  op- 
portunity of  paying  my  respects  to  Lord  Yo-Ake  and  his  pretty 
ward,  my  cousin." 

"We  are  honored,"  she  replied.  "It  would  seem  the  moon  is  full 
of  ronins  tonight.  Nakahara  was  but  now  telling  me  of  one  in 
'Foreign'  lands,  and  of  his  leading  all  others  in  the  quest  for 
knowledge.  Nakahara  called  this  ronin,  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake." 


II 


WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND   SULTAN   IS  FORGOT 


With  me  along  the  strip  of  Herbage  strown 
That  just  divides  the  desert  from  the  sown, 

Where  name  of  Slave  and  Sultan  is  forgot — 
And  Peace  to  Mahmud  on  his  golden  Throne !— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

LORD  SAITO  frowned  at  her  reference  to  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of 
whom  he  felt  he  had  cause  to  be  jealous.  Also  he  was  not  a  little 
secretly  contemptuous  of  him  for  his  wanderings  in  foreign  lands. 
"I  grant  you,  my  cousin,"  he  replied — her  father,  Lord  Suki  Shi- 
madzu  of  Tsushima  was  his  uncle — "that  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  is  the 


WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND  SULTAN  IS  FORGOT  23 

first  of  us  to  mix  with  the  'Foreigner'  on  his  own  grounds,  may 
he  be  the  last,  also.  Yet  I  think  other  reasons  might  be  ascribed  to 
his  continued  absence  from  Nippon,  just  now." 

"What  reasons  ?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  innocently. 

"Connected  with  coming  events,"  answered  Saito,  lowering  his 
voice  as  they  strolled  up  the  glade  together.  "Surely  you  are  not 
unaware  that  war  is  imminent  between  the  Shogun  and  his  dai- 
mios  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Mikado  and  his  Kuge  on  the  other? 
It  is  but  a  matter  of  short  time  before  the  two  factions — the  Sho- 
gun at  Yedo,  and  the  Mikado  at  Kyoto — must  meet  with  drawn 
swords." 

"Even  then  I  can  not  see  how  the  knowledge  of  this  would  affect 
the  fact  of  Tokiyori's  absence?"  commented  Kiku-ko. 

"No,  but  his  absence  very  materially  affects  the  fact  that  because 
of  it  he  will  not  be  required  to  bear  arms  upon  one  side  or  the 
other,"  rejoined  Saito. 

"Always  supposing  that  he  does  not  return  before  then,"  sup- 
plemented Kiku-ko. 

Saito  smiled.  Undoubtedly  Tokiyori's  absence  from  Nippon  at 
such  a  time  gave  good  ground  for  just  such  an  inference. 

"Tokiyori  will  need  to  use  haste  if  he  intends  returning  before 
the  commencement  of  hostilities,"  he  observed,  dryly. 

Kiku-ko  felt  herself  flushing.  She  would  gladly  have  cham- 
pioned her  affianced  for  her  pride's  sake,  had  he  not  by  his  absence 
taken  from  her  her  sole  weapon  of  defense. 

"Will  it  be  so  soon?"  she  said. 

"It  may  break  forth  at  any  hour,"  he  replied. 

"And  you,  of  course,  will  assist  the  Shogun,"  she  affirmed,  tak- 
ing it  unconsciously  for  granted  that  Saito,  like  most  of  the  other 
powerful  nobles  of  the  day,  would  elect  to  throw  in  his  lot  with 
the  Tokugawa  party. 

"No,"  answered  Saito  in  a  low  decisive  tone,  and  not  very  wisely. 
He  was  not  at  all  wanting  as  a  usual  thing  in  worldly  acumen,  but, 
like  lovers  the  world  over,  permitted  his  heart  sometimes  to  run 
away  with  his  head.  Nor  was  he  aware  that  Lord  Yo-Ake  counted 
on  this  human  frailty  when  he  suffered  the  very  obvious  attentions 
of  Saito  to  his  son's  affianced,  for  the  sake  of  much  valuable  in- 


24  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

formation  which  he  very  adroitly  extracted  from  the  unsuspecting 
girl  after  each  of  these  visits.  "You  can  scarcely  suppose,"  con- 
tinued Saito,  "that  I  would  fail  the  Mikado  at  such  a  time,  and 
when  he  is  in  such  sore  need  of  men !" 

"But  why  the  Mikado?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  innocently.  "Certainly 
he  is  our  lawful  Emperor — the  Son  of  the  Sun  God.  Yet  it  is  not 
himself,  they  say,  but  the  nobles  of  his  court — his  kuge — who  wish 
to  crush  the  power  of  the  Shogun." 

"That  is  true,  too,  to  a  certain  extent,"  admitted  Saito.  "Yet  the 
struggle  is  bound  to  come  in  any  case.  But  I  shall  fight  for  the  Mi- 
kado, first  because  I  believe  he  hates  the  'Foreigners,'  and  because 
the  Shogun  is  permitting  them  to  desecrate  our  city  of  Yedo.  If  it 
were  not  for  the  Shogun,  the  Mikado  would  soon  have  the  'Bar- 
barian' driven  beyond  the  sea-line.  And,  secondly,  I  desire  to  fight 
for  the  Mikado  because,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Shogun,  your 
father — my  uncle  Shimadzu — might  be  alive  today.  Our  Satsuma 
family  will  never  forgive  the  Shogun  that." 

"But  that  was  ordered  by  the  Mikado  himself,"  objected  Kiku- 
ko,  whose  fair-mindedness,  although  she  felt  the  tears  filling  her 
eyes,  compelled  her  to  speak  in  defense  of  the  Shogun. 

"Only  as  a  matter  of  form,"  explained  Saito  in  exoneration  of 
the  Mikado's  part  in  that  sorrowful  drama.  "The  Mikado  seals  all 
documents  and  petitions  from  the  Shogun,  now,  perforce.  Of 
course  it  was  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  my  uncle  Shimadzu  in  at- 
tempting to  permit  the  'Foreigner'  access  to  Tsushima ;  but  as  the 
Shogun  was  even  then  himself  arranging  to  open  the  whole  of 
Nippon  to  'Foreign'  traffic,  with  what  justice  could  he  demand  the 
death  of  your  father  for  the  lesser  offense  ?  Remember,  you  are  of 
our  Satsuma  family,  too,  Kiku-ko  sama,  and  should  think  as  we." 

"Yes,  until  I  become  a  member  of  the  Yo-Ake  family,"  assented 
Kiku-ko,  thinking  of  her  coming  marriage  with  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake. 

"Another  reason  why  I  shall  side  with  the  Mikado,"  he  con- 
tinued in  low  tones,  "is  because  his  party  will  be  the  weaker.  And 
when  we  win — for  win  we  must — there  will  be  all  the  more  glory 
to  those  who  have  fought  against  the  greater  odds  and  con- 
quered." 

"It  is  all  very  terrible,"  said  Kiku-ko,  plaintively. 


WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND  SULTAN  IS  FORGOT  25 

"Terrible,  indeed !"  repeated  Saito.  He  was  a  young  man  scarce 
seven  and  twenty,  rapidly  rising  to  martial  fame,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  woman  he  secretly  adored,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  he  sought  to  add  a  few  touches  of  color  to  that  picture  in 
which  he  himself  might  play  an  important  part.  "As  I  said,  the 
Mikado  must  win  if  he  hopes  to  shake  off  the  power  of  the  Sho- 
gun,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Tokugawa  can  not  afford  to  lose. 
I  shall  probably  command  our  Satsuma  samurai,  nearly  all  of 
whom  are  veterans,  and  we  shall  doubtless  be  opposed  to  the  Mitu 
men,  with  whom,  as  you  may  recall,  we  have  an  old  outstanding 
blood-feud.  It  will  be  a  hard-fought  fight,  Kiku-ko,  and  when  the 
sun  goes  down  on  the  last  stricken  field  there  will  be  but  few  ban- 
ners left  for  it  to  shine  upon. 

Kiku-ko  felt  a  little  thrill  pass  over  her  at  Saito's  portrayal  of 
the  coming  civil  strife,  for,  if  terrible,  it  would  also  be  glorious; 
and  she  was  a  woman.  She  wondered  if  Tokiyori  would  have 
shared  Saito's  eagerness  for  the  fray.  Then  she  caught  herself 
flushing  as  she  thought  of  the  slight,  frail  lad,  so  serious  and 
studious  beyond  his  years,  whom  she  could  just  recall  having  seen 
when  he  was  a  boy  of  sixteen,  and  she  a  little  maid  of  five.  They 
had  reached,  unconscious  of  their  whereabouts,  so  absorbed  were 
they  in  conversation,  the  limits  of  the  glade  walk,  and  now  turned 
back  toward  the  bower. 

"Three  days  from  tomorrow  is  the  fete  of  Karasaki,"  Saito  re- 
marked. "Shall  you  witness  it,  Kiku-ko  sama?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  answered.  "We  never  miss  the  fete  when  at  Moto. 
Tonosama  always  considers  it  one  of  his  particular  duties  as  a 
landowner  here  to  be  present  for  a  few  hours  on  the  opening  day. 
Besides,  old  Nakahara  would  feel  bitterly  hurt  were  we  not  pres- 
ent to  step  across  his  little  piles  of  good-luck  salt,  and  listen  to  at 
least  one  of  his  tales." 

"Old  Nakahara's  tales  are  getting  stale  with  constant  use," 
laughed  Saito.  "I  have  heard  him  tell  that  one  of  the  Kyoto  and 
Osaka  frogs  five  distinct  times  within  the  past  three  months  to  my 
knowledge." 

"Poor  old  Nakahara !"  -smiled  Kiku-ko  with  a  pretty  solicitous- 
ness.  "He  is  becoming  very  old  and  infirm.  Yet  time  was,  so  Tono- 


26  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

sama  says,  when  Nakahara  was  accounted  one  of  the  greatest  han- 
ashika  of  the  southlands.  I  think  Tonosama  is  very  attached  to 
him,  and  really  believes  him  to  be  a  seer.  But  are  you  also  going 
to  be  present  at  Karasaki  with  us,  cousin  ?" 

"I  am  afraid  not,"  he  replied.  "I  must  hasten  back  to  Kyoto  to- 
morrow, in  answer  to  a  summons  from  my  kinsman.  I  suppose, 
though,  you  expect  other  guests  during  the  fete  season?" 

"Only  Prince  Matsuo  Goto,  who  sent  his  messenger  to  Tono- 
sama this  morning,  advising  him  of  his  intention  to  attend  the  fes- 
tival. He  will  arrive  at  Otsu  tomorrow,  and  Tonosama  has  already 
ordered  Mata  to  take  a  guard  of  samurai  to  escort  the  prince 
from  there  to  Moto." 

"Goto  coming  to  Biwa,"  mused  Saito.  "I  wonder  what  can  have 
brought  him  so  far  afield  ?" 

"Does  not  the  prince  travel  much  ?"  queried  Kiku-ko. 

"Only  along  routes  where  there  are  relays  of  inns,"  laughed 
Saito.  "He  would  as  soon  think  of  walking  barefoot  to  his  north- 
ern country  as  of  traversing  byroads  where  yadoyas  are  few,  and 
eels  an  unknown  luxury.  Something  of  import  must  have  urged 
him  to  this  visit  to  Moto.  I  dare  swear  he  has  a  feast  of  eels  or- 
dered at  Otsu  already.  Which  is  the  chief  yadoya  there,  Kiku-ko 
sama?" 

"There  is  only  one,"  she  replied,  laughing  at  Saito's  description 
of  the  great  Prince.  "It  is  beyond  the  pines  at  the  further  end  of 
the  village,  and  is  kept  by  old  Yamaki." 

"I  was  just  thinking,"  observed  Saito,  "that  it  would  be  a  very 
amusing  joke  to  stop  there  on  my  way  to  Kyoto  tomorrow,  and 
devour  Goto's  eels." 

With  this  remark  of  Saito's  they  gained  the  bower,  and  he  drew 
aside  a  cluster  of  blooms  that  they  might  enter.  During  their  walk 
the  moon  had  risen  high  in  its  flight,  and  now  looked  down  on 
them  through  the  unleafed  wistaria  blossoms  overhead.  It  wove  a 
veil  about  Saito  and  Kiku-ko,  and  touched  fondly  her  perfect 
head,  entwining  myriad  little  web-stitches  among  the  coils  of  her 
black  hair.  Then  it  played  over  the  folds  of  her  kimono,  delicately 
tracing  the  faint  outline  of  her  young  form.  She  seated  herself 
and  Saito  came  to  her  side. 


WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND  SULTAN  IS  FORGOT  2? 

At  their  feet  sang  the  brook  as  melodious  as  a  Koto,  its  silver 
threads  vibrating  musically  where  they  stretched  across  the  little 
cascades.  Below  the  miniature  falls  and  fern-swept  pools,  the 
water's  refrain  echoes  in  a  treble — such  an  echo  as  recarries  the 
motif  in  a  rhapsody.  And  all  the  while  small  pieces  of  pendent 
glass  tinkled  over  head  in  a  sheer  alto.  It  was  a  symphony  of  the 
night,  a  nocturne  of  charmed  waters,  untramelled  by  the  limited 
conceptions  of  mankind's  compositions. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  bower  was  a  toro,  supported  by  a  large 
upright  stone,  on  the  face  of  which  was  inscribed :  "What  is  in 
the  book  is  in  the  heart.  Yet  neither  you  nor  I  have  conceived  it." 

It  was  eminently  appropriate.  Saito  was  a  Buddhist,  as  was  also 
Kiku-ko.  Under  his  martial  exterior  Saito  had  the  inborn  poesy  of 
the  real  artist — the  birthright  of  every  Nipponese.  Something  in 
the  cadence  of  the  brook,  and  the  witchery  of  the  moon,  awoke  a 
memory-chord  in  his  soul.  It  was  like  a  song  of  the  birth — the 
birth  of  the  Virgin  Light,  when  Nippon  was  as  yet  unassoiled  by 
contamination  with  the  outer  world — when  the  days  were  gold, 
and  the  nights  were  love,  and  the  temples  were  sweet  with  the 
presence  of  the  gods.  As  he  stood  gazing  upon  Kiku-ko  with  the 
fire  of  a  poet  and  the  ardor  of  a  wooer,  Biwa,  and  all  that  was 
earthly,  faded  from  his  knowledge.  He  knew  not,  nor  cared, 
whether  it  were  dusk  or  dawn  in  the  bower;  he  only  knew  that 
she  for  whom  his  very  soul  panted  was  there  beside  him,  and  that 
it  was  the  Morning  of  his  World  to  him.  He  touched  the  little,  ex- 
quisite hand  that  fluttered  in  her  lap. 

"Kiku-ko  sama,"  said  he  in  a  quiet,  dreamy  voice,  "a  picture 
comes  before  my  eyes,  and  by  it  I  know  that  once  we  were  one.  It 
may  have  been  a  thousand  cycles  ago — or  an  aeon,  for  whc^may 
count  the  chasms  of  their  re-births  ?  I  reckon  but  the  re-incarna- 
tion of  my  soul  when  I  know  you  now  again  in  this  mortal  span. 
Listen,  heart  of  mine.  This  is  how  the  picture  is  painted  for  me. 
"I  see  but  darkness — awful,  overwhelming  darkness.  Then  sud- 
denly a  great,  pure,  enthralling  light  floods  this  black  nothingness. 
And  from  this  light  and  darkness  is  born  a  shadow.  It  seems  to 
me  the  most  wondrous  creation,  for  it  fills  me  with  a  knowledge 
of  unknown  perfectness  and  peace,  so  marvelously  beautiful  is 


28  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  form  it  assumes.  The  shadow  seems  to  be  a  woman-child ;  and, 
because  it  is  so  perfect  in  its  beauty,  I  think  that  it  is  Art — and 
that  its  name  is  Love. 

"So  it  appears  to  me  that  love  is  born  to  create  from,  and  make 
for  light  and  darkness,  a  world.  Yet,  unaided,  how  may  that  be 
possible?  And  now  I  see  heavy,  lowering  clouds  approaching. 
They  draw  nearer  and  nearer  each  other,  until  they  meet  with  a 
deafening  crash,  whilst  flashes  of  bright  fire  run  between  them. 
And,  lo!  as  the  clouds  as  suddenly  dissolve,  I  see  a  figure.  It 
grasps  a  sword.  It  is  a  warrior — the  son  of  Thunder  and  Light- 
ning. From  beneath  his  feet  a  flare  of  vari-colored  lights  springs 
forth,  arching  across  the  infinite." 

Saito  paused  a  moment  in  his  description;  and  a  sleepy  spar- 
row, imagining  that  it  was  the  morning,  twitted  from  a  nearby 
tree. 

"The  rainbow  cleaves  through  space,"  continued  Saito,  "far 
above  the  head  of  the  soldier.  A  moment  he  scans  the  towering 
crest;  then,  brandishing  his  sword,  charges  to  the  summit — but, 
there,  only  soft  strains  of  music  meet  his  ear;  as,  gazing  down, 
he  decries  Shadow — the  Art-Maid — playing  upon  a  koto,  and 
singing  sweetly.  And  as  he  stands  upon  the  crest  of  the  great  rain- 
bow, enraptured  by  this  sight,  a  glorious  sun  faintly  crimsons  all. 

"It  is  the  dawning  of  love,  Kiku-ko  sama — love,  treading  the 
pathway  of  love  to  Love  herself,  who  awaits  him  at  the  end  of 
the  arched  rainbow — yet  the  soldier  fears  to  descend — " 

Again  he  stopped,  abruptly,  lost  in  the  thoughts  the  vision  in- 
voked ;  and  Kiku-ko,  already  awakened  to  his  from  her,  now  for- 
gotten, world,  added  in  a  low,  ecstasied  whisper : 

"Art  and  the  sword  are  one,  in  Nippon." 

Saito  half  heard  the  whisper,  and  it  brought  his  vision  before 
him  again. 

"The  night  is  come,"  he  continued  in  the  same  dreamy  tone  of 

voice,  "and  a  moon  is  created  to  light  their  nuptials I  now 

see  other  forms  arising  from  the  union  of  art  and  the  sword; 
some  good  and  beautiful,  some  foul  and  loathsome.  They  are 
thoughts ;  and  I  see  these  thoughts  evolving  and  evolving  until 
they,  too,  take  shape — shapes  of  fair  towns  and  cities,  and  rich 


WHERE  NAME  OF  SLAVE  AND  SULTAN  IS  FORGOT  29 

lands ;  shapes  of  dark  sinks  of  vice,  and  evil  byways.  I  see  them 
growing,  and  growing — ever  growing,  until  in  an  access  of  might 
they  seek  to  make  light  and  darkness,  and  thunder  and  lightning, 
their  playthings — gods  !" 

He  placed  his  hand  suddenly  across  his  eyes  with  a  gesture  of 
sharp  pain.  All  frightened,  Kiku-ko  arose  and  came  to  his  side. 

"What  is  it,  Saito  sama?"  she  asked,  trembling,  "Oh!  what  do 
you  see  ?" 

"Nothing,"  he  answered  a  trifle  unsteadily,  removing  his  hand. 
"I  can  see  no  more.  There  was  a  flash  that  blinded  me  for  the 
moment — and  then  the  vision  was  gone.  There  is  left  but  you  and 
me,  Kiku-ko  sama — and  the  bower." 

"Our  bower,"  she  whispered. 

He  stretched  forth  his  arms  to  her,  and  she  surrendered  herself 
to  the  intoxication  of  her  awakening.  She,  too,  now  cared  naught 
for  other  than  the  words  and  caresses  of  the  soldier.  It  was  for 
them  the  one  perfect  breath,  allowed  by  the  gods  in  all  our  lives 
once,  when  the  vale  oi  Elysia  lies  revealed.  The  wistaria  had 
closed  them  about  from  the  world. 

Clickety-clack !  clickety-clack !  Old  Nakahara  was  clogging 
about  again  to  wish  his  lanterns  a  good-night  as  he  extinguished 
them.  At  the  opening  of  the  bower  he  paused,  parting  the  hanging 
blooms  with  his  hands. 

He  noted  a  look  upon  Kiku-ko's  face  which  conies  but  once  to 
every  woman,  and  drew  his  own  conclusions.  He  was  a  student  of 
human  nature,  was  the  old  hanashika — his  profession  made  him 
such. 

Saito  and  Kiku-ko  with  a  quiet  "O  yasumi  nasai"  passed  by 
him  through  the  bower  opening,  and  walked  toward  the  shrubbery 
path.  He  stood  watching  them  while  they  crossed  the  bridge,  and 
ascended  toward  the  yashiki.  Soon  a  door  slid,  and  in  the  sudden 
flood  of  light  he  saw  the  two  enter  the  house.  After  all,  Nakahara 
was  a  lover  of  human  nature,  too,  or  he  could  never  have  been 
the  story-teller  he  was.  He  turned  to  the  bower  lantern,  sadly. 
"Sayonara,"  sighed  the  old  hanashika,  as  he  blew  out  the  light. 


4% 

vSJf>'W.S 


Ill 

THE  LORD  FORLORN 


Earth  could  not  answer;  nor  the  Seas  that  mourn 
In  flowing  Purple,  of  their  Lord  Forlorn; 

Nor  rolling  Heaven,  with  all  his  Signs  reveal'd 
And  hidden  by  the  sleeve  of  Night  and  Morn — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

WHILE  this  scene  between  Saito  and  Kiku-ko  in  the  wistaria 
bower  was  enacting,  one  other  event  was  closing  about  Moto, 
which  would  have  its  distinct  bearing  upon  them  both,  on  Lord 
Asano  Yo-Ake,  and  upon  the  future  of  Nippon.  At  that  same  hour 
a  "Foreign"  vessel  had  come  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Hiogo,  to 


THE  LORD  FORLORN  3! 

discharge  freight,  and  its  single  passenger — a  slight  young  man, 
clad  in  European  attire,  although  evidently  a  Japanese,  and  who 
could  not  as  yet  have  attained  thirty  years  of  age.  A  sanpan  bore 
him  and  his  luggage  from  the  side  of  the  vessel  to  one  of  the  town 
slips,  whence  he  came  ashore,  and  sought  a  night's  lodging  at  a 
nearby  yadoya.  There  he  ordered  a  conveyance  to  Otsu  for  the 
morrow,  cautioning  the  landlord  that  he  wished  to  make  an  early 
start,  as  the  journey  would  occupy  some  two  days'  time. 

Otsu  is  a  small  fisher  village  on  the  extreme  southern  shores  of 
Lake  Biwa.  Not  being  on  the  main  route  of  traffic — for  Kyoto, 
where  the  Tokaido  runs,  lies  several  miles  to  the  south  and  west 
from  it — Otsu  was  but  seldom  accorded  the  sight  of  great  folk, 
save  when,  semi-yearly,  Lord  Yo-Ake  and  his  retinue  journeyed 
to,  or  returned  from,  Yedo,  or  when  the  castle  of  Moto  had 
guests.  On  those  occasions  Otsu  was  fortunate,  for,  unless  one 
followed  the  lengthy  road  around  the  lake  it  was  necessary  to 
traverse  its  one  small  street  to  come  to  the  landing  stage  from 
which  sanpans  might  be  chartered  to  the  castle  side  of  the  shore. 

Near  the  lake  end  of  the  village  two  mighty  pines  form  a  rude 
sort  of  portal  to  Otsu.  In  some  past  century  the  soil  has  been  torn 
from  their  hold — perhaps  by  flood,  although  there  is  no  record 
thereof — so  that  these  trees  clutch  the  low,  rocky  embankment 
with  one  rooty  embrace,  the  other  roots  being  pushed  forth  into 
space  in  the  semblance  of  a  gnarled  network  of  enormous  fingers. 
Through  these  giant  hands  the  lake  road  leads  into  the  main  street 
of  the  village  direct.  Little  houses  dot  the  street  irregularly  on 
either  side ;  and  at  the  far  end  of  the  village,  near  a  small  clump 
of  pines,  was  the  yadoya  of  Otsu,  kept  by  old  Yamaki.  Not  that 
Yamaki  was  really  old,  but  somehow  he  was  so  associated  in  the 
simple  minds  of  the  villagers  with  his  quaint,  ancient  inn,  that  it 
had  become  the  custom  to  refer  to  him  in  that  manner.  Like  his 
yadoya,  Yamaki  was  one  of  the  recognized  landmarks  of  the  ham- 
let. It  was  whispered  that  he  had  once  been  a  strolling  actor,  but, 
whether  that  were  so  or  not,  Yamaki  was  now,  like  his  inn,  emi- 
nently respectable. 

The  day  following  Saito's  wooing  of  Kiku-ko,  and  the  coming 
of  the  "Foreign"  vessel  to  Hiogo,  Otsu  had  the  privilege  of  first 


32  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

entertaining  Lord  Saito  and  his  retinue,  and  later  one  of  somewhat 
higher  rank,  although  of  less  military  fame.  It  befell  that  Mata, 
who  had  been  dispatched  from  the  castle  by  Lord  Yo-Ake  to  meet 
Prince  Goto,  was  marching  at  the  head  of  his  samurai  between  the 
great  rooty  pine  hands  of  the  village.  Already  the  sun  had  gone 
down,  and  the  early  moon  was  mirroring  its  face  in  the  glassy  sur- 
face of  Biwa-ko.  Across  the  lake  the  great  fortalice  of  Moto 
looked  placidly  upon  the  fisher  sanpans  that  were  drawing 
homewards  from  Yabase.  Here  and  there  the  little  paper-paned 
shoji  of  the  houses  gave  forth  their  glow  from  andon  and  hibatchi 
within;  yet  the  street,  and  even  the  village  itself,  had  an  air  of 
being  depopulated.  It  was  evident  that  something  of  unusual  im- 
portance was  happening  at  the  further  end  of  the  hamlet,  where 
was  situate  Yamaki's  yadoya,  for  such  a  hubbub  broke  suddenly 
from  that  direction  upon  the  ears  of  Mata  and  his  men  as  caused 
them  instinctively  to  close  their  ranks.  Every  one  was  fully  aware 
that  the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities  between  Shogun  and  Mikado 
might  come  at  any  hour  almost,  and  Kyoto — the  Mikado's  city, 
and  base  of  his  operations — lay  but  few  ri  from  Otsu  as  has  been 
mentioned.  Affairs  might  have  come  to  a  head  even  sooner  than 
had  been  generally  anticipated.  Mata  was  just  coming  to  this  con- 
clusion when  a  deep  voice  broke  suddenly  into  a  roar  that  set  his 
mind  at  rest.  No  one  in  Nippon  other  than  the  fat  Prince  Matsuo 
Goto  of  the  north  possessed  such  a  mighty  volume  of  tone.  Mata 
was  familiar  with  the  prince's  personality  from  his  frequent  visits 
to  Shima  castle,  in  Yedo.  He  quickened  the  step  of  his  men,  and- 
hastened  on  to  where  the  great  nobleman  was  roaring  forth  prov- 
erb after  proverb  as  was  his  custom  when  conversing. 
'"A  tumor  makes  no  choice  of  a  place!'"  bellowed  the  resonant 
voice  as  Mata  and  his  escort  approached.  "How  now,  thou  villain 
inn-keeper?  How  of  the  fried  eels  and  sancho  leaf  garnish  I  or- 
dered by  courier  to  be  ready  against  my  passing  today?  Dost 
think  a  personage  of  my  weight  may  travel  from  Kyoto  to  Kara- 
saki  without  bite  or  sup  ?" 

"Humbly  craving  your  noble  lordship's  pardon,"  came  the  an- 
swer, muffled  perforce  from  the  posture  of  humility  assumed  by 
Yamaki,  "the  honorable  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma  passed  through 


THE  LORD  FORLORN  33 

here  but  three  short  hours  since.  His  lordship  forced  myself  and 
servant  to  serve  to  his  retinue  the  eels  in  cooking  for  your  high- 
ness." 

"Words  !  all  words !"  objected  the  huge  voice.  "'If  you  must  be  a 
dog,  belong  to  a  great  house.'  Whom,  pray,  is  Lord  Saito  in  rank 
that  he  should  be  served  the  delicacies  from  the  platter  of  Prince 
Matsuo  Goto?  Again,  I  say,  what  of  the  fried  eels  and  sancho  leaf 
garnish  ?" 

"If  your  highness  would  but  have  an  honorable  patience,"  began 
Yamaki — 

"Patience!"  vociferated  the  enraged  prince.  "Patience!  'Yester- 
day's bride  is  tomorrow's  mother-in-law.'  Where  is  my  sword- 
bearer?" 

At  this  juncture  Mata  and  his  samurai  arrived  upon  the  scene. 
On  word  of  the  invitation  from  Lord  Yo-Ake,  all  wrath  faded 
from  the  angry  nobleman's  face,  his  little  roving  eyes  twinkling 
with  delight.  He  was  especially  desirous  of  seeing  in  person  Asa- 
no  Yo-Ake,  just  then,  and  had  half  feared  that  the  latter  might 
chance  to  be  absent. 

"'A  single  aim  pierces  to  heaven',"  he  observed  to  Mata,  in  answer 
to  the  invitation  borne  by  him.  "I  humbly  accept  your  daimio's 
kind  hospitality,  and  will  quarter  myself  and  retinue  upon  him  for 
a  night  and  day.  Yet  I  like  not  leaving  my  eels  behind.  The  fish 
that  escapes  from  the  net  seems  always  the  largest'." 
He  added  the  latter  part  of  this  speech  to  himself. 

"Your  highness'  pardon,"  said  Mata,  deferentially,  "but  we 
heard  an  hubbub  as  we  entered  Otsu.  I  trust  no  discourtesy  hath 
been  shown  by  anyone  here?" 

"'When  you  need  bread, go  to  the  bakery',"  explained  Goto. "This 
fellow,"  indicating  the  still  kneeling  Yamaki,  "hath  been  proven- 
dering  others  at  my  expense.  Honorable  inside  was  empty.  Ho! 
sword-bearer !  Hew  me  the  head  from  off  this  villain  inn-keeper." 
One  of  Goto's  samurai  stepped  forth  from  the  long  line  that 
filled  the  village  street,  drawing  his  blade  with  a  sharp  whir. 

"Nay,  nay,  your  highness !  I  beg  of  you !"  intreated  poor  Yama- 
ki. "The  fault  should  rest  with  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma  who  hath 
depleted  my  inn.  Alas,  that  I  should  lose  customer,  good  name, 
and  life  itself  for  a  fault  not  of  my  making!" 


34  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

The  reasonableness  of  this  appealed  to  Goto,  whose  bark  was 
really  far  worse  than  his  bite,  and  whose  heart  was  ever  sympa- 
thetic for  anyone  in  adversity. 

"Well,  well,"  he  admitted  in  mollified  tones,  "perhaps  you  are 
right.  'A  one  gallon  vessel  can  hold  no  more  than  one  gallon.'  Get 
up,  fellow.  Hi,  there !  thou  ruffian  stavemen !  pick  up  my  nori- 
mono.  Now  then,  sir  knight  of  the  Yo-Ake — if  you  are  ready? 
Forward,  to  Moto !" 

A  sharp  word  of  command  rang  out  from  the  samurai  leaders, 
and  the  serried  ranks  of  soldiery  surged  forward  as,  with  a  beat- 
ing of  staves,  and  glittering  of  halberds  and  sword  hilts,  the  ban- 
ner of  Goto,  with  its  crest  of  three  sancho  leaves  within  a  gold 
embroidered  circle,  swung  toward  the  lake  shore  for  Moto. 

Within  the  great  room  of  his  castle  yashiki,  sat  Lord  Yo-Ake, 
lost  in  moody  thought.  Considering  the  beauty  of  his  surround- 
ings, the  cause  of  his  gloom  was  not  apparent.  Moto  was  one  of 
the  most  perfect  edifices  erected  by  the  hand  of  man,  and  neither 
expense  nor  labor  had  been  spared  to  add  to  its  artistic  luxuriance. 
Indeed,  it  was  said  that  only  one  other  garden  in  the  whole  of 
Nippon  could  equal  that  of  Moto's — that  of  Nijiima,  Lord  Saku- 
rai's  Yedo  residence.  Shima,  Lord  Yo-Ake's  other  castle  at  Shiba, 
in  Yedo,  imposing  as  it  undoubtedly  was,  could  not  for  one  mo- 
ment compare  in  actual  loveliness  to  Moto.  Added  to  the  posses- 
sion of  these  two  magnificent  seats,  Lord  Yo-Ake  was  wealthy, 
and  a  councilor  of  the  very  highest  rank  on  the  Bakafu — the 
"curtain  council" — of  the  Shogun. 

The  room  in  which  he  now  sat  was  the  essence  of  good  taste ; 
richly,  but  sparingly  furnished.  In  a  toko-no-ma,  or  wall-recess, 
hung  a  Sesshu — a  kakemono  of  exceeding  rarity.  Near  the  toko- 
no-ma,  a  sword  rack  of  exquisite  design  in  lacquer  supported  sev- 
eral perfect  examples  of  the  swordsmith's  craft,  among  them  a 
great  blade  executed  by  no  less  a  master  than  Muramasa.  This 
was  known  to  legend  as  "The  Devil  Sword,"  and  had  belonged  to 
Oni  Yo-Ake — sometimes  referred  to  as  the  "Devil  of  Biwa-ko" — 
who  also  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  founder  of  the  Yo- 
Ake  family  and  fortunes.  It  was  supposed  that  when  this  sword 
was  once  drawn  it  must  either  drink  the  blood  of  a  foeman  of  the 


THE  LORD  FORLORN  35 

family,  or  it  would  turn  itself  against  the  vitals  of  its  wearer.  In 
an  opposite  corner  from  the  sword-rack  was  the  shrine  containing 
the  ihai  to  the  daimio's  dead  wife,  with  its  accompanying  ever- 
burning lamp.  Upon  the  dais  on  which  Lord  Yo-Ake  sat  was  a 
small,  richly  lacquered  table,  on  which  were  several  scrolls  of 
writing  matter.  Thick  tatami  matted  the  floor,  while  hand  painted 
fusima  or  sliding  doors  closed  in  the  apartment.  These  fusima 
were  worthy  of  more  than  passing  attention,  for  they  depicted  the 
eight  points  of  greatest  beauty  about  Biwa-ko — Seta,  the  moon  on 
Hiriyama,  sunrise  at  Ishiyama,  the  geese  flighting  to  Katata,  the 
fisher  sanpans  drawing  in  from  Yabase,  the  great  bell  of  Miidera, 
and  some  jade  and  silver  waterfalls,  with  Moto  itself  in  the  back- 
ground. Like  the  kakemono,  they,  too,  had  been  executed  by  a 
famous  artist.  A  beautiful  shrubbery  vista,  seen  when  the  paper- 
paned  shoji  were  open,  completed  the  settings.  Yet,  even  amid  all 
this  loveliness,  Lord  Yo-Ake  sat  wrapped  in  intense  gloom. 

It  was  summer  of  the  year  1866,  and  just  twelve  years  ago  his 
son,  Tokiyori,  had  set  forth  on  his  travels  among  the  "Foreign- 
ers." Was  he  ever  again  to  behold  the  features  of  that  son?  He 
had  heard  from  him  at  more  or  less  regular  intervals,  but,  so  far 
from  expressing  a  desire  for  immediate  return  to  Nippon,  the 
tenor  of  those  letters  had  latterly  indicated  that  their  author  con- 
templated a  somewhat  indefinite  sojourn  abroad,  more  especially 
in  British  possessions,  with  whose  people  he  appeared  distinctly 
infatuated.  The  receipt  of  one  of  these  epistles,  some  nine  months 
before,  had  so  annoyed  the  daimio  that  he  had  dispatched  a  reply 
commanding  his  heir  to  return  to  Nippon  at  once.  Still  time 
passed,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  the  expatriate,  nor  did  the  dai- 
mio know  now  his  exact  whereabouts.  Perforce  he  could  but  con- 
tinue patiently  awaiting,  and  trusting  that  enough  of  filial  respect 
was  still  left  to  cause  him  to  obey  his  father's  injunctions.  This, 
in  itself,  was  sufficiently  perturbing,  and,  when  added  to  the  politi- 
cal issues  pending,  explains  why  the  daimio  was  so  downcast  amid 
the  surrounding  charms  of  his  Lake  Biwa  residence.  To  compre- 
hend the  latter  cause  more  fully,  a  short  family  history  and  refer- 
ence to  the  inner  national  politics  of  the  times  becomes  necessary. 

Since  its  inception  by  Oni  Yo-Ake — the  "Devil  of  Biwa-ko" — 


36  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  Yo-Ake  family  had  come  through  the  three  hundred  odd  years 
of  its  existence  with  rather  more  good  fortune  than  had  been  the 
lot  of  many  of  its  compeers.  Two  salient  family  characteristics 
were  mostly  responsible  for  this — their  native  wit,  and  an  adap- 
tability for  what  is  termed  "the  masterly  inactivity"  of  statecraft, 
both  prominent  features  of  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake's  own  make-up — 
while  a  well-considered  system  of  intermarriage  with  the  families 
greatest  in  power  had  contributed  to  the  Yo-Ake's  repeated  ad- 
vancement and  security.  From  these  family  tenets  sprang  Lord 
Asano  Yo-Ake,  and  although  in  his  youth  a  staunch  follower  of 
things  martial,  when  the  unexpected  death  of  his  elder  brother  in 
an  inland  foray,  followed  by  the  demise  of  his  father,  had  seated 
him  as  the  titular  head  of  his  family,  he  had  lain  aside  the  sword 
for  all  time,  devoting  himself  exclusively  to  his  country's  politics. 
But  while  his  political  life  had  been  successful  to  a  marked  de- 
gree, advancing  him  at  a  comparatively  early  age  to  the  post  of 
chief  councilor  to  successive  Shoguns,  he  had  also  increased  the 
enmity  of  many,  who  asserted  that  he  served  his  masters  best  by 
serving  himself  first. 

The  whole  may  therefore  be  briefly  summed  up  by  saying  that 
up  to  the  advent  of  the  "Foreigner,"  in  1854,  Asano  Yo-Ake  was 
a  politician  of  weight,  but  actuated  mostly  by  motives  concerning 
himself  and  his  family.  Since  that  time  he  had  broadened  into  a 
politician  with  greater  and  deeper  motives  inspiring  his  methods. 

In  a  sense  the  cause,  or  causes,  of  his  gloom  concerned  the  fu- 
ture policies  of  his  family.  He  had  been  too  close  in  the  councils 
of  the  Shoguns  not  to  realize  that  the  rule  of  the  Tokugawas  was 
nearing  its  end.  They  had  become  too  ambitious — greedy  perhaps 
better  describes  the  condition.  From  a  sort  of  public  representa- 
tive of  the  Mikado — in  virtual  retirement  at  Kyoto — the  ambi- 
tions of  this  great  military  family  had  led  them  into  an  assump- 
tion of  not  only  the  outward  prerogatives  of  the  throne,  but  the 
actual  sovereignty,  itself.  Emperors,  under  the  cruel  greed  of  the 
Tokugawas,  were  deprived  of  their  freedom,  persecuted,  or  ban- 
ished into  the  refuge  of  monasteries  at  the  will  of  the  Shoguns. 
The  kuge,  or  court  noblesse  of  Kyoto,  were  virtually  in  exile,  nor 
were  the  heredities  of  the  daimios,  the  territorial  supporters  of 


THE  LORD  FORLORN  37 

the  Shogunate,  safe  to  their  holders.  For  some  time  there  had 
been  an  undercurrent  of  murmuring  against  this,  and  now  it  was 
plainly  visible  to  all  that  the  old  order  must  give  place  to  a  new. 
The  Tokugawas  saw  this  also,  as  clearly  as  the  meanest  of  their 
subjects,  and,  in  their  frenzy  to  hold  their  own,  attempted  to  re- 
double their  grip. 

Lord  Yo-Ake,  admitting  to  himself  the  probable  outcome  of 
civil  strife,  sought  to  consummate  some  plan  for  the  future  of  his 
family.  He  was  a  man  of  a  scant  fifty  years  of  age,  with  a  strong 
grip  on  the  pulse  of  his  country,  and  a  far  deeper  insight  into  the 
future  than  his  compeers.  If  the  Shogunate  fell,  what  would  be- 
come of  the  Yo-Ake?  He  had  asked  himself  this  question  on  that 
very  night  twelve  years  ago  which  had  seen  his  friend  and  guest, 
Lord  Shimadzu,  done  to  death  at  Shima  castle  by  order  of  the 
Shogun,  and  had  answered  it  by  sending  his  son  abroad.  His  pol- 
icy in  this  respect  had  been  direct  and  simple — for  Lord  Yo-Ake. 
Firmly  believing,  even  then,  that  the  Mikado's  faction  must  tri- 
umph ultimately,  he  sought  the  means  to  attach  himself — or, 
rather,  to  render  himself  indispensable — to  it.  But  he  realized  that 
it  was  not  sufficient  that  he  should  go  to  the  Mikado  saying  sim- 
ply, "I  wish  to  be  your  majesty's  councilor."  He  must  have 
stronger  qualifications  than  an  empty-handed  desire,  even  when 
backed  by  the  Yo-Ake  prestige,  to  place  before  the  Emperor.  Op- 
portunely had  occurred  the  diversion  wrought  by  the  demands  of 
the  United  States  government,  and  the  visit  of  Commodore  Per- 
ry's flotilla,  bearing  them.  From  this  Lord  Yo-Ake  foresaw  this 
much :  that  the  future  of  Nippon  would  hinge  largely  on  its  inter- 
national policies  and  intercourse.  Beyond  that  he  had  not  attemp- 
ted to  peer,  but  the  knowledge  of  it  had  caused  him  to  urge,  se- 
cretly, his  friend,  Lord  Shimadzu,  to  open  Tsushima  to  "For- 
eign" traffic,  with  what  disastrous  results  is  known.  Thereafter 
Asano  Yo-Ake  reasoned  that  if,  when  the  Shogunate  should  fall, 
he  could  approach  the  Mikado  with  a  full  and  complete  knowl- 
edge of  "Foreign"  policies,  his  chances  of  procuring  an  important 
appointment  would  be  greatly  enhanced,  and  that  had  actuated 
the  almost  unprecedented  act  of  sending  his  son  on  a  visit  to  "For- 
eign" nations.  In  all,  Asano  Yo-Ake's  reasoning  was  absolutely 


38  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

faultless,  and  in  result  erred  only  in  the  non-appearance  of  its 
most  important  factor,  his  son,  Tokiyori. 

Thus  musing,  Lord  Yo-Ake  raised  his  head  and  gazed  abstract- 
edly about  the  room  in  which  he  sat.  So  absorbed  had  he  been  in 
these  thoughts  that  he  had  failed  to  note  the  gathering  night  until 
through  the  open  shoji  flickering  moon-shadows  ran  weirdly  about 
the  apartment.  These  touched  the  hilt  of  the  great  "devil"  sword 
of  Oni  Yo-Ake,  and  played  over  the  ihai  to  his  dead  wife.  Then 
the  moon-shadows  danced  hither  and  thither,  while  a  soft  summer 
wind  moaned  gently  against  the  eaves  of  the  yashiki,  until,  finally, 
they  began,  to  his  mind,  to  assume  definite  shape.  There  went  the 
form  of  Shimadzu,  his  friend,  who  might  today  have  been  alive 
had  he  not  urged  him  to  a  hazardous  act.  And,  there,  the  shade  of 
his  wife,  the  Lady  Ume-ko,  who  had  been  required  to  die  that — 
despite  the  warnings  of  physicians — a  son  and  heir  might  be  born 
to  him.  He  might  have  prevented  both  fatalities — why  had  he  not 
stayed  his  hand  ?  It  seemed  to  Lord  Yo-Ake  that  the  forms  beck- 
oned him  to  look,  and  he  saw  suddenly  a  picture  of  the  union  of 
two  young  people — his  son  and  Shimadzu's  daughter.  Behind  them 
they  hid  another  form,  scarcely  visible.  Was  this  the  answer — 
that  because  of  that  hidden  something  the  union  he  saw  pictured 
was  necessary — and  the  two  deaths  ?  A  long  time  he  watched  this 
vision,  until  the  shadows  danced  into  another  portraiture  before 
his  eyes,  and  he  saw  an  atonement,  and  a  sacrifice.  The  sacrifice 
seemed  to  personify  the  features  of  his  son,  and  the  atonement  of 
a  little  child.  But  himself  he  could  not  see. 

The  chill  of  the  late  evening  crept  through  the  open  shoji  and 
closed  about  his  soul.  For  the  first  time  Asano  Yo-Ake  knew  fear. 
Gods !  If  his  son  should  fail  to  return,  or  if  he  himself  should  die 
before  his  time !  He  was  treading  on  a  sheer  precipice  now,  and 
any  day  might  come  an  accusation  of  him  from  his  enemies  to  the 
Shogun.  It  seemed  as  though  all  had  gone  dark  before  him — nay, 
it  was  dark,  for  the  lamp  before  the  ihai  no  longer  glowed ! 

He  fell  upon  his  knees  before  the  shrine. 

"O,  Ume-ko !"  he  cried  softly,  "stretch  forth  thy  hand  from  the 
Meido-Land  to  save  me,  and  to  guide  our  boy  homeward !" 

A  moment  longer  the  darkness  continued.  Then  the  lamp  in  the 


THE  LORD  FORLORN  39 

little  shrine  suddenly  glowed  again,  and  the  peace  of  the  steady 
flame  brought  a  great  comfort  to  his  heart. 

A  fusima  slid,  and  the  voice  of  a  servant  announced,  ''Prince 
Matsuo  Goto." 


IV 


DEEP  WATERS  AND  A  WIND 


With  them  the  seed  of  Wisdom  did  I  sow, 

And  with  mine  own  hand  wrought  to  make  it  grow; 

And  this  was  all  the  Harvest  that  I  reap'd — 
"I  came  like  Water,  and  like  Wind  I  go." — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

WHEN  one  has  a  delicate  errand  to  perform,  or  doubtful  in- 
formation to  be  gleaned,  it  is  sometimes  best  to  approach  the  mat- 
ter boldly.  So  decided  Prince  Goto  as  he  waddled  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  master  of  Moto,  making  and  receiving  the  usual  obei- 
sance. Already  were  servants  arranging  the  small  dining  tables 


DEEP  WATERS  AND  A  WIND  4! 

before  the  cushions  placed  for  the  two  noblemen,  orders  to  serve  a 
meal  in  Lord  Yo-Ake's  own  apartment  having  been  given  in  an- 
ticipation of  the  arrival  of  the  great  lord  of  the  north.  Goto  fairly 
beamed  at  the  sight.  He  was  a  votary  of  the  table,  a  gourmet,  and 
held  implicit  faith  in  the  belief  that  a  host  with  his  own  table  be- 
fore him  could  be  made  to  speak  with  far  greater  freedom  than 
could  the  same  person  in  the  less  convivial  environment  of  an  offi- 
cial chamber.  Goto  also  prided  himself  not  a  little  in  secret  on  the 
adroit  manner  in  which  he  had  prearranged  this  visit  so  as  to  make 
it  appear  but  a  casual  journey  from  Yedo,  with  the  fete  at  Kara- 
saki  as  its  objective.  The  consequent  invitation  to  stay  at  Moto  he 
regarded  as  but  the  natural  outcome  of  his  own  shrewdness  in 
thus  seeking  an  opportunity  of  sounding  his  host  concerning  his 
dispositions  in  the  forthcoming  internecine  strife.  He  might  have 
spared  himself  such  laborious  thought  and  plotting,  for  Asano  Yo- 
Ake  had  already  easily  guessed  the  underlying  purport  of  this 
visit,  and  was  secretly  amused  at  the  prince's  rather  obvious  ef- 
forts to  conceal  it.  Lord  Yo-Ake  possessed  a  perfectly  developed 
faculty  for  the  perusal  of  other  men's  minds,  and  it  would  have 
required  a  very  much  more  clever  deception  than  Goto  was  cap- 
able of  to  mislead  him  in  a  matter  of  such  apparentness. 

Not  being  aware  of  this,  Goto  proceeded  to  put  his  carefully 
thought  out  plan  into  execution.  As  a  man  of  large  landed  and 
political  interests,  he  was  not  unnaturally  anxious  to  ascertain  ex- 
actly how  his  compeers  purposed  taking  sides  in  the  event  of  a 
clash  between  the  Shogun  and  Mikado.  He  could  not,  of  course, 
he  realized,  approach  Lord  Yo-Ake  in  this  instance  with  any  de- 
gree of  frankness,  for  their  relative  positions  on  the  Shogunate 
council  would  have  converted  the  question,  no  matter  how  care- 
fully concealed,  into  the  essence  of  bad  faith  on  the  part  of  the 
daimio  toward  the  Tokugawas — an  insult  that,  however  much  he 
might  question  Yo-Ake's  sincerity,  Goto  was  not  prepared  to  offer. 
But  he  could  lead  his  host  into  a  statement  that  might  indicate  the 
trend  of  his  intentions,  and,  by  a  system  of  cross  questioning,  per- 
haps gain  some  sort  of  admission  from  him.  Thus  had  planned 
Prince  Goto,  with  what  success  the  sequel  will  show. 
"'The  fortune  teller  knows  not  his  own  destiny'/'  he  quoted  to 


42  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

his  host,  as  they  prepared  to  enjoy  the  viands  with  which  the  little 
tables  were  set.  "I  had  not  supposed  my  hunger  would  have  pro- 
cured me  a  place  at  such  a  feast  of  the  gods  this  night.  Pray  how 
do  your  servitors  prepare  the  eels'  flesh  at  Moto,  Yo-Ake?"  he 
added,  anxiously  regarding  a  dish  of  those  beloved  luxuries. 

"Upon  bamboo  spits,  well  rubbed  in  sancho  leaves  before  being 
thrust  into  the  flesh  of  the  eels,  I  believe,"  answered  the  daimio. 

"Excellent!  excellent!"  agreed  Goto  in  joyous  anticipation.  "It 
is  the  way  I  have  always  instructed  my  own  ruffians  in  the  north ; 
only  I  require  that  the  platters  be  well  rubbed  with  the  sancho 
berry  also."  He  busied  himself  a  moment  with  the  girdle  that  held 
his  kimono  in  place.  "If  you  will  permit,"  he  added,  "I  will  loose 
the  folds  of  my  kimono  before  sampling  this  divine  feast,  as  is  my 
custom.  'First  prepare  your  arsenal,  then  go  into  battle'." 

It  was  evident  that  Goto  was  no  mere  recruit  at  this  sort  of 
warfare  from  the  massed  attack  he  immediately  executed.  Either 
at  the  board  or  with  the  sword  the  great  prince  was  reckoned  as 
no  mean  adversary. 

"Referring  to  the  culture  and  preparation  of  eels,"  observed 
Lord  Yo-Ake,  after  a  few  moments,  perceiving  that  his  guest's 
appetite  was  becoming  somewhat  appeased,  "I  recall  having  heard 
young  Saito  of  Satsuma  remark  that  they  should  be  first  pickled  in 
sea-grass." 

The  subject  of  Saito  was  a  sore  one  just  then  with  Goto.  The 
memory  of  the  eels  in  waiting  for  him  that  very  day,  which  had 
been  so  rudely  consumed  by  the  former,  still  rankled. 
"'Little  minds  gaze  at  the  skies  through  a  needle-hole',"  he  re- 
sponded with  ponderous  sarcasm.  "Saito  was  reared  on  a  shore 
overgrown  with  kelp." 

"So,  also,  was  my  ward  and  future  daughter-in-law,  Kiku-ko 
Shimadzu,"  commented  the  daimio. 

"'The  fish  dances  under  the  wave,  but  the  bird  flies  heaven- 
ward'," quoted  Goto,  with  great  readiness  of  mind.  "I  make  my 
humble  salutations  to  the  Lady  Kiku-ko.  I  remember  her  father, 
Suki  Shimadzu,  well." 

He  bent  his  forehead  to  a  cup  containing  sake,  as  he  spoke,  the 
contents  of  which  he  drained;  then,  rinsing  it  in  a  bowl  of  fresh 


DEEP  WATERS  AND  A  WIND  43 

water  by  his  elbow,  passed  it  on  to  the  daimio  that  he,  too,  might 
join  in  this  toast  to  his  future  daughter-in-law. 

"Speaking  of  Shimadzu,"  continued  Goto,  who  thought  that  he 
perceived  a  chance  of  leading  the  conversation  around  to  present 
political  topics,  "I  recall  very  well  when  he  attempted  to  open 
Tsushima  to  'Foreign'  traffic.  The  Shogun  very  properly  nipped 
that  in  the  bud,  for  the  time  was  not  then  ripe.  'Secret  wrong  in- 
vites disaster.'  Doubtless  Shimadzu  had  his  notions  of  what  was 
due  his  country  and  posterity — yet,  'the  tiger  and  the  deer  do  not 
lie  down  together.'  Poor  Suki  paid  the  penalty  for  his  temerity. 
A  most  senseless  proceeding,  I  thought  it." 

Had  Goto  known  that  that  very  political  movement  of  the  de- 
funct Shimadzu's  was  at  the  instigation  of  the  man  at  whose  table 
he  was  at  that  moment  dining  he  might  have  been  more  reserved 
in  his  criticism.  Being  blissfully  ignorant  of  this  fact,  he  waited 
an  answer  to  this  observation  in  the  hope  that  it  might  possibly 
lead  Yo-Ake  into  some  statement  of  his  views  regarding  the  pres- 
ent policy  of  the  Shogun. 

"After  all,"  observed  the  daimio,  finally,  "it  was  bound  to  come 
about  eventually.  We  were  too  confined,  Goto ;  communal  life 
does  not  thrive  on  isolation.  But  Shimadzu,  as  you  say,  preceded 
his  day.  ...  I,  also,  was  his  friend." 

Goto  pondered  on  this  a  moment,  but  failed  to  find  any  definite 
information  contained  in  the  remark. 

"Shimadzu  was  unfortunate  in  his  haste,"  said  he  at  last.  "Yet 
today  we  count  his  disciples  by  thousands.  'When  an  insane  man 
runs  the  sound-minded  will  follow'." 

And  to  himself  he  added :  '"Look  at  a  man's  friends,  then  judge 
his  character.'  Shimadzu  and  Yo-Ake  were  close  in  each  other's 
councils." 

"Referring  to  the  'Foreigners',"  observed  the  daimio,  after  a 
pause,  during  which  Goto  consumed  another  dish  of  eels,  and  laid 
secret  plans  for  another  method  of  attack,  "I  learn  recently  that 
they  are  in  favor  of  the  Mikado's  assuming  the  actual  reins  of 
government.  More  especially  the  representatives  of  the  august 
realm  of  America,  who  desire  to  treat  directly  with  the  Emperor 
in  person.  It  now  appears  that,  by  their  manner  of  designating  the 


/| /j  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Shogun  as  'Tycoon'  in  their  documents,  they  were  of  the  belief 
that  he  was  in  reality  the  Sacred  Person.  Is  it  to  be  presumed 
from  this  that  the  presence  of  the  'Foreigner'  in  Yedo  will  receive 
greater  encouragement  from  Kyoto  than  that  already  accorded  by 
our  party  ?" 

Lord  Yo-Ake  put  this  question  with  the  air  of  one  desirous  of 
information ;  although,  in  reality,  it  was  but  intended  to  ascertain 
whether  or  no  Goto  had  been  secretly  trafficking  with  the  Mika- 
do's faction.  If  the  latter  should  chance  to  be  the  case,  Goto  would 
to  some  extent  be  cognizant  of  the  Kyoto  party's  policy,  and  not 
likely  very  adroit  to  conceal  his  information.  Lord  Yo-Ake  knew 
quite  well  what  that  policy  was,  and  that  the  young  Emperor's 
advisers  were  then  bitterly  opposed  to  any  and  all  intercourse 
with  other  nations.  Goto's  reply  convinced  him  of  the  former's 
ignorance  of  the  Kyoto  views  on  the  matter,  and  of  his  innocence 
from  any  intriguing. 

"You  can  not  expect  a  clear  vision  from  a  cave  dweller',"  replied 
the  prince  sagely.  "The  Kyoto  party  have  been  so  long  in  enforced 
seclusion  they  are  more  than  likely  to  favor  any  interests  that  of- 
fer the  slightest  support.  Undoubtedly  the  advisers  of  the  Mikado 
will  favor  the  presence  of  the  'Foreigner'  more  than  we,  in  return 
for  his  aid." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  appeared  to  weigh  this  opinion  gravely. 

"I  am  not  sure,"  he  remarked,  finally,  "that  we  of  Nippon  did  an 
altogether  wise  thing  by  admitting  the  'Foreigner'  into  our  midst. 
Still,  so  long  as  he  has  become  an  established  factor  in  our  na- 
tional life,  it  humbly  seems  to  me,  now,  the  height  of  folly  and 
rashness  to  wantonly  antagonize  his  interests  here.  I  do  conceive 
that  such  utter  rancour  against  him  as,  .for  instance,  that  held  by 
Saito,  which  finds  its  vent  in  recent  movements  against  the  'For- 
eigner's' life  and  liberty,  is  a  most  hazardous  feeling  for  Nippon 
to  entertain.  Moreover,  it  is  a  direct  violation  to  the  'Foreign' 
treaties,  for  which  we  may  some  day  have  to  pay  a  heavy  indem- 
nity." 

Goto  sniffed  at  this  second  mention  of  Saito's  name. 

"Speaking  of  Saito,"  said  he,  "I  owe  him  but  little  good-will.  He 
passed  through  Otsu  on  his  way  to  Kyoto  today,  as  I  have  very 


DEEP  WATERS  AND  A  WIND  45 

good  cause  to  remember.  'Even  a  stone  image  will  resent  a  rough 
stroked  face!'" 

"On  his  way  to  Kyoto  ?"  said  the  marquis  indolently. 
"The  snake's  road  the  snake  alone  knows',"  affirmed  Goto, severe- 
ly. "It  was  said  that  he  journeyed  to  Kyoto." 

"It  is  not  often  that  in  one  day  our  poor  countryside  is  distin- 
guished by  two  such  personages  as  that  of  the  lord  of  the  north 
and  the  famous  swordsman  of  Satsuma,"  remarked  Lord  Yo-Ake 
courteously.  "Did  you  chance  to  meet  him  ?" 

"No,"  replied  Goto,  "but  my  eels  did.  'Kindred  spirits  seek  one 
another'." 

"It  is  rumored  that  the  Shogun  intends  him  for  commander  of 
the  Baka-fu  forces,  if  such  take  the  field  against  the  Kyoto 
troops,"  observed  the  daimio,  indifferently. 

Goto  laid  down  his  chopsticks;  he  had  wanted  this  very  post 
himself.  Lord  Yo-Ake  was  aware  of  this  fact,  also,  and  sought 
this  method  of  creating  a  breach  between  Goto  and  Saito.  Asano 
Yo-Ake  did  not  wish  it  thought  that  he  was  himself  in  any  way 
inimical  to  the  latter,  because  of  the  very  necessary  information — 
through  the  medium  of  Tetsu-ko — Saito's  visits  brought  to  Moto. 
Nevertheless,  he  perceived  that  Saito's  vaunted  antipathy  against 
the  'Foreigner'  might  eventually  embroil  Nippon  with  outside  na- 
tions, so  sought  quietly  in  every  way  possible  to  raise  a  little  un- 
dercurrent of  feeling  against  him. 

Goto  pondered  a  moment  on  this  appointment  of  Saito's. 
"'The  swimming  fish  disturbs  the  pool',"  he  reminded  finally.  "Do 
you  think  this  contemplated  elevation  of  Saito  to  command  our 
forces  wise,  Yo-Ake?  His  hatred  of  the  'Foreigner'  is  very  well 
known." 

"All  moves  are  more  or  less  open  to  criticism,  Goto,"  replied  the 
daimio,  equivocally.  "Facts  have,  as  you  say,  an  illbred  habit  of 
intruding." 

Goto  was  distinctly  puzzled.  He  could  not  remember  having 
said  anything  of  the  sort.  It  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  he  was 
getting  no  nearer  the  object  of  his  visit  to  Moto.  He  picked  up  his 
chopsticks,  and  twirled  them  a  moment  in  perplexity. 
"'You  cannot   catch  the  tiger  without  going  to  his  lair',"  he 


46  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

thought.  And  then,  aloud,  "'Doubting  minds  bring  a  swarm  of 
demons,'  Yo-Ake.  Personally,  I  question  the  wisdom  of  such  an 
appointment.  Still,  whatever  we  as  individuals  may  think,  we 
must  stand  or  fall  by  our  master,  the  Shogun.  Is  it  not  so?" 

Lord  Yo-Ake  stifled  a  smile  at  the  crudity  of  Goto's  diplomatic 
methods. 

"'The  frog  that  lives  in  the  well  knows  not  of  the  ocean'/'  he  an- 
swered drily,  in  a  proverb  after  the  fashion  of  his  guest.  "So 
much  does  my  estate  here  claim  my  time,  when  in  residence,  that 
I  become  most  disregardful  on  issues  of  state  until  I  am  able  to 
take  up  the  thread  of  them  again  in  Yedo.  But  I  see  that  you  have 
finished  your  repast,  and  I  am  sure  you  must  desire  to  rest  after 
the  fatigues  incumbent  upon  your  long  journey.  May  I  not  have 
the  privilege  of  conducting  you  to  your  apartments?" 

Thus  was  the  inquisition  brought  to  a  close,  without,  however, 
the  inquisitor  attaining  the  desired  knowledge.  And  Goto,  as  he 
prepared  to  disrobe  himself,  was  feign  to  admit  in  the  privacy  of 
his  room  that  "a  snake  has  no  ears,  but  its  eyes  are  always  open," 
adding,  ere  he  closed  his  own  eyes  for  the  night,  "that  it  was  fool- 
ish to  inquire  the  sea  road  of  the  mountain  cutter,  or  ask  the  sea- 
man the  way  to  the  hills." 

"Yo-Ake  was  over  close,"  soliloquized  Goto  from  his  futon.  "I 
like  not  the  weather  at  Biwa.  'Clouds  foretell  a  change.'  Tomor- 
row I  depart  for  Yedo.  'Before  falling,  take  your  staff'." 

And  so  saying,  the  great  lord  of  the  north  fell  asleep,  dreaming 
that  Asano  Yo-Ake,  dressed  as  a  cook,  was  giving  orders  to  have 
him  pickled  in  sea-grass  after  the  detestable  custom  of  Saito  of 
Satsuma. 


THE  TREASURE  AND  THE   MASTER 

A  Hair,  perhaps,  divides  the  False  and  True; 
Yes ;  and  a  single  Alif  were  the  clue — 

Could  you  but  find  it — to  the  Treasure-house, 
And  peradventure  to  THE  MASTER  too;  .  .  .  .—OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


AT  LAST  the  first  of  old  Nakahara's  three  great  red-letter  days 
had  arrived ;  it  was  evening  of  the  first  day  of  the  fete  of  the 
resin-raining  of  Biwa's  mighty  pine  tree  at  Karasaki.  Earlier  in 
the  afternoon,  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake  had  visited  the  scene  with  his 
household,  according  to  his  rigid  annual  custom,  and  after  watch- 


48  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

ing  the  concordance  of  three  thousand  odd  votaries  gathered  un- 
der the  enormous  propped-up  branches,  had  gladdened  old  Naka- 
hara's  heart  by  stopping  to  listen  to  one  of  his  stories,  and  then 
withdrawn  to  Moto.  Now,  the  sun  having  gone  down  in  a  burst  of 
brilliant  flame,  the  stars,  lighting  the  skies  in  preparation  for  the 
moon's  night  ride,  were  hung  out  as  carelessly  by  some  hand  as 
the  lanterns  in  the  boughs  of  the  great  tree. 

Under  a  single  mighty  limb  that  swept  out  over  the  lake  waters, 
old  Nakahara  sat  watching  the  gathering  night.  Above  and  around 
the  myriad  lanterns  twinkled  merrily,  and  just  without  the  circu- 
lar sweep  of  pine  boughs  several  Koya,  or  amusement  halls, 
swung  their  fuda,  the  wooden  laths  billing  their  attractions  to  the 
view  of  the  great  throng.  A  constant  stream  of  sanpans  from  Ot- 
su,  on  the  opposite  side,  bore  the  visitors  from  Sakamoto  and  the 
country  around,  and  even  from  distant  Kyoto,  and  on  his  own  side 
of  the  lake,  but  farther  up  its  shore,  Nakahara  could  still  make 
out  the  great  walls  of  placid  Moto,  over  which  the  trees  were 
bending  misshapenly  to  the  moat  waters.  And  all  the  while  the 
bantering  chatter  of  the  country  swain  with  the  coy,  pretty  little 
tea-stall  maids  rose  in  a  shrill  medley  on  the  evening  air. 

Presently  some  hanashika  passed  Nakahara  on  their  way  to  the 
various  Koya,  where  they  would  shortly  appear  before  their  ad- 
miring audiences,  and  bowed  mockingly  to  the  old  fellow  seated 
before  his  little  piles  of  good-luck  salt,  while  the  crowd  that  fol- 
lowed at  their  heels  began  to  laugh  and  point  out  to  one  another 
the  lonely  old  figure  puffing  at  his  well-worn  pipe. 

"He  needs  no  Koya,"  said  one  jester  to  another.  "The  ground  it- 
self is  scarcely  capacious  enough  to  accommodate  his  audience." 
"Yet  he  should  use  care  that  his  listeners  do  not  scatter  his  piles 
of  salt  in  their  hurry  to  hear  his  tales,"  observed  the  second,  in 
mockery  of  Nakahara's  loneliness. 

A  passing  woman  stopped,  and  regarded  the  old  man  in  a  spirit 
of  compassion. 

"Heed  not  these  rough  yokels,"  she  said,  kindly.  "Mayhap  the 
gods  have  in  store  for  you  gifts  more  eloquent  than  the  fuda  of 
lesser  artists." 

Nakahara  paid  no  attention  to  these  remarks,  any  more  than  he 


THE  TREASURE  AND  THE  MASTER  49 

had  the  insolent  bowings  of  the  competitive  hanashika,  whose  re- 
cent intercourse  with  the  "Foreigner"  at  Yedo  and  Kyoto  enabled 
them  to  satisfy  the  popular  craving  with  newer  tales;  yet,  none 
the  less,  both  bowings  and  remarks  hurt  him.  He  had  once  been 
accounted  the  greatest  hanashika  of  the  southlands,  but,  sorrow- 
fully, he  realized  that  the  phrase  "had  been"  expressed  his  condi- 
tion now.  As  he  placed  the  mirror  of  life  to  the  back  of  his  head, 
in  a  vain  effort  to  ignore  the  tracery  of  the  hastening  years,  it  ac- 
centuated the  furrows  of  time  upon  his  countenance  with  a  venge- 
ful contrariety,  and,  looking  at  it  from  what  angle  he  would,  the 
mirror  reiterated  always  the  same  tale — he  was  growing  old;  he 
was  growing  old.  The  vista  of  audiences  once  moved  to  tears  un- 
der the  mellow  artistry  of  his  story-telling,  faded  when  he  turned 
the  mirror  about,  and  he  saw  reflected  there  only  the  very  few  lis- 
teners whom  he  could  now  count  upon  because  of  their  inability 
to  afford  the  Koya  prices.  In  the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  Nakahara 
cursed  the  advent  of  "Foreign"  ways  into  the  beauty  of  Nippon, 
and  their  influence  on  his  sacred  calling  of  hanashika. 

But  if  present  circumstances  were  arrayed  against  him,  Naka- 
hara was  not  without  hope,  and  like  his  lord,  Asano  Yo-Ake,  was 
awaiting,  in  all  anxiety,  the  return  of  the  son  of  the  great  house, 
in  the  hope  that  it  would  bring  with  it  a  return  of  his  lost  prestige, 
because  of  superior  knowledge  of  the  outlands  with  which  his 
young  master  would  undoubtedly  regale  him.  And — who  knows  ? 
— some  talisman  from  the  wondrous  West  might  yet  render  him 
greater  than  ever  was  there  a  hanashika. 

While  musing  in  this  strain,  Nakahara  noted  that  a  small  audi- 
ence of  the  poorest  type  had  gathered  around  him.  He  blinked  in- 
to the  gentle  glow  from  the  fire-bowl  of  his  tabako-bon,  and 
scooped  the  charcoal  in  circles,  thinking  on  his  coming  tale  the 
while. 

"Let  us  take  a  smoke,"  said  he,  finally,  according  to  his  prelud- 
ing custom,  at  the  same  time  plucking  a  live  coal  from  the  brazier 
as  a  pipe-light. 

A  norimono,  which  had  arrived  from  the  direction  of  Otsu, 
came  to  a  stop  on  the  outskirts  of  the  great  pine's  branches,  while 
its  occupant,  from  his  attire  presumably  a  "Foreigner,"  stepped 


5<D  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

out.  Turning  to  some  coolies,  who  followed  with  his  luggage,  he 
bade  them  continue  on  to  Moto  Castle,  and  directed  his  stave-men 
to  await  while  he  strolled  about  among  the  Koya  and  booths. 

Nakahara,  perceiving  that  his  audience  was  on  the  verge  of  ex- 
pectancy, laid  aside  his  pipe  and  commenced  his  tale. 

"Now,  On  To  Waga,  the  Frog,"  he  began,  chancing  upon  the 
very  story  that  Lord  Saito  had  complained  to  Kiku-ko  of  having 
heard  so  often,  "started  from  Kyoto  to  see  Osaka,  and  by  dint  of 
much  hopping  finally  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  Ten-no-zan, 
which  lies  about  half  way  between  the  two  places.  There  On  To 
Waga,  the  Frog,  met  another  of  his  kind,  who  had  hopped  half 
way  from  Osaka  to  view  Kyoto.  And  after  both  frogs  had  rested, 
they  stood  on  tiptoe,  gazing  each  toward  the  birthplace  of  the 
other,  as  they  thought. 

"'Now,'  exclaimed  the  Kyoto  frog,  'at  last  I  see  Osaka!' 
"  'And  now,'  said  the  Osaka  frog,  'at  last  I  see  Kyoto !' 

"So  they  looked  for  some  time  at  the  two  cities,  and  then  finally 
dropping  upon  their  bellies,  regarded  each  other  fixedly. 

"On  To  Waga,  the  Kyoto  frog,  was  the  first  to  speak. 
"'I  own  I  am  disappointed,'  said  he,  'at  having  hopped  this  far, 
for  I  can  perceive  no  difference  between  this  Osaka  and  my  own 
birthplace,  Kyoto.' 

"'And  I  also  am  disappointed,'  rejoined  the  Osaka  frog,  'I  can  see 
no  difference  between  Kyoto  and  my  own  native  city,  Osaka.' 

"So  they  each  turned  and  hopped  off  toward  their  respective 
homes.  But  the  facts  were,  the  frogs  had  forgotten  that  their  eyes 
were  set  in  the  backs  of  their  heads,  so  that  when  they  stood  on 
tiptoe  they  consequently  saw  what  was  behind  them,  and  not  what 
was  in  front." 

Old  Nakahara  paused  in  his  tale,  and  his  audience,  glad  of  the 
excuse,  arose  to  seek  the  comparative  excitement  of  the  toy- 
booths,  or  to  gaze  wistfully  at  the  fuda  before  the  Koya  where  the 
other  hanashika  would  be  rolling  forth  strange  adventures  of  for- 
eign lands.  He  noted  the  only  too  apparent  relief  of  his  listeners 
at  the  opportunity  for  leaving,  and  the  red  blood  of  shame  surged 
to  his  brow  as  he  called  silently  upon  his  gods  to  uphold  him 
through  the  darkest  hour  of  his  life.  Not  even  the  gibes  of  the 


THE  TREASURE  AND  THE  MASTER  5! 

hanashika  and  their  following  hurt  him  as  did  this,  for,  bitterest 
drop  of  all,  he  knew  full  well  the  cause.  If  only  his  young  lord 
had  returned — Tokiyori,  the  little  lad  who  was  wont  to  toddle 
about  holding  to  the  skirts  of  his  kimono,  and  begging  for  just  one 
more  story  from  the  then  famous  raconteur !  Then,  suddenly  and 
occultly,  a  great  light  broke  on  Nakahara,  for  his  time  was  near. 
He  raised  his  voice,  and  caught  the  disappearing  tail  of  the  crowd, 
literally  slewing  it  toward  him,  open  mouthed,  as  he  sent  his  last 
great  challenge  forth  from  under  the  far-stretched  boughs  of 
Karasaki-no-Matsu. 

"So,  On  To  Waga,  the  Frog,  having  started  toward  his  birth- 
place, Kyoto,  stopped  at  a  stream  to  cool  his  skin,  and  he  met 
there  a  fish  to  whom  he  told  the  story  of  his  disappointment. 
"'You  are  but  a  silly  fellow !'  said  the  fish.  'For  could  you  not  see 
that  your  eyes  are  set  in  the  back  of  your  head,  so  that  when  you 
thought  you  were  viewing  Osaka  it  was  Kyoto  all  along  that  you 
saw?' 

"'How  should  I  be  able  to  see  my  eyes  if  they  are  in  the  back  of 
my  head  ?'  asked  On  To  Waga,  indignantly.  'And  what  must  I  do 
to  get  eyes  in  the  front  of  my  head.' 

'"You  must  do  even  as  I,'  answered  the  fish,  'and  go  down  to  the 
faraway  horizon,  where  the  great  sea  ends.  But,  first,  you  will 
have  to  assume  the  form  of  a  man,  and  to  accomplish  this  you 
must  climb  up  the  great  mountain  of  vision,  and  give  battle  there 
to  No  Binka,  the  Giant'." 

Back  came  the  departing  listeners,  for  this  sequel  held  forth  the 
promise  of  a  new  feature.  And,  after  them,  attracting  a  crowd  in 
his  wake,  sauntered  the  "Foreign"-dressed  visitor.  The  fete-mak- 
ers stared  in  polite  awe,  wondering  who  this  might  be,  evidently  a 
Japanese  and  yet  garbed  after  the  manner  of  the  "  Barbarian." 
The  whisper  ran  swiftly  about  under  the  boughs  of  Karasaki's 
great  tree  until  it  reached  the  Koya,  from  where  audience  and 
hanashika  poured  forth  to  witness  this  unusual  sight.  So,  singly 
and  in  pairs,  one  and  all  hurried  in  the  wake  of  the  stranger  to- 
ward the  great  bough  under  which  old  Nakahara  sat. 

Nakahara  sensed  the  gathering,  and  his  worn-out  old  eyes  fail- 
ing in  the  dim  light  of  moon  and  lantern  to  note  its  cause,  sent  a 


52  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

silent  prayer  of  thanks  to  his  gods,  as  he  drew  on  what  time  had 
left  him  of  his  former  strength.  He  took  up  the  metamorphosis  of 
On  To  Waga,  the  Frog,  and  told  of  the  great  fight  with  the  giant, 
No  Binka,  that  raged  from  sun  to  sun,  while  the  red  blood  oozed 
through  the  iron-shod  joints  of  the  gauntleted  fingers,  and  trickled 
along  the  grooves  of  the  sword  blades.  Then  he  told  how  On  To 
Waga — triumphant  and  no  longer  the  frog,  but  still  eyeless — put 
forth  on  the  great  sea  in  quest  of  his  eyes  in  a  wondrous  ship, 
whose  masts  were  steeped  in  hammered  gold,  and  whose  sails 
were  spun  of  the  finest  silk,  and  whose  hull  was  of  carven  ivory. 

A  fire  was  flickering  across  his  glazing  features  as  the  crowd 
of  listeners,  forgetting  in  their  joy  and  lust  of  the  new  tale  the 
cause  of  their  being  his  audience,  pressed  closer  and  closer  about 
his  little  piles  of  good-luck  salt.  Nakahara  was  singing  his  swan 
song — the  saga  of  the  brain  of  Yo-Ake  his  lord.  But  he  could  not 
know  that. 

Back  and  forward  swayed  the  old  body  as  he  told  of  the 
rhythm  of  the  sea  with  a  poetry  so  pathetically  graphic  that  his 
hearers  could  literally  feel  the  biting  of  the  spin-drift,  and  the 
moaning  and  soughing  of  the  gales  among  the  creaking  masts. 
Then  his  eyes  glinted  like  live  coals,  and  the  climax  of  his  great 
story  came  like  the  bite  of  a  sword  blade  from  off  his  aged  tongue. 
" — and  On  To  Waga,  the  same  who  had  sailed  forth  on  the 
great  sea  in  quest  of  eyes  wherewith  to  light  his  forehead,  notched 
his  prow  on  the  bloodshot  disc  that  hung  burning  over  the  distant 
horizon." 

Where  now  were  these  upstart  hanashika  with  their  tales  of 
"Foreign"  seas  and  lands !  The  gaping  audience,  all  else  forgot- 
ten, drew  ever  closer  to  the  old  fellow  as  they  hung  on  the  wan- 
derings of  On  To  Waga,  the  eyeless.  Nakahara  rolled  his  own 
fast-glazing  eyes,  for  the  fight  was  all  but  too  much  for  him,  as 
he  brought  his  banner  up  and  flung  it  in  the  face  of  the  Karasaki 
scoffers. 

"Then  On  To  Waga,  the  Frog,  having  reached  the  great  fireball 
just  as  it  shot  down  into  the  waving  kelp,  thinking  that  its  glint  in 
the  sea-wash  might  be  the  eyes  he  sought,  plunged  his  arm  down 
into  the  dank,  sucking  ooze — and  lo !  he  plucked  from  the  slime 


THE  TREASURE  AND  THE  MASTER  53 

a  jewel,  which  he  bore  to  the  shore.  Thus  was  brought  from  the 
sea  the  rarest  of  all  gems — which  men  have  named  Hope." 

Nakahara's  voice  stopped  abruptly,  while  his  old  body,  its 
strength  gone  forth  with  the  tale,  sank  limply.  There  was  a  little 
movement  among  the  throng  of  listeners,  and  he  in  "Foreign" 
garb  approached  the  form  of  the  hanashika.  A  moment  he  scanned 
the  time-dried  features,  and  then  laid  his  two  hands  on  the  bent 
old  shoulders  to  raise  them. 

"O,  Nakahara,"  said  he,  "have  you  forgotten  me?  Have  you  no 
word  of  welcome  for  Tokiyori,  the  babe  whom  you  taught  to 
walk?" 

A  beautiful  smile  illumined  the  features  of  the  dying  old  ser- 
vant, clearing  away  the  creases  and  furrows  of  the  years.  He 
strove  to  raise  himself  on  his  elbow  to  bow  to  his  young  lord,  but 
the  shock  had  been  too  great  for  him.  Eager  hands  raised  him  at 
the  bidding  of  the  "Foreign"  young  man,  and  bore  him  to  the  lat- 
ter's  norimono  in  waiting. 

Then,  in  respectful  attitudes,  hanashika  and  revellers  stood 
while  the  litter  containing  the  great  story-teller  passed,  but  old 
Nakahara  knew  not,  for,  his  last  fable  told,  he  had  come,  with  the 
Alif,  into  his  treasure,  and  into  the  presence  of  the  Master. 


VI 

EARTH  AND  GRAIN 


And  those  who  husbanded  the  Golden  grain, 
And  those  who  flung  it  to  the  winds  like  Rain, 

Alike  to  no  such  aureate  Earth  are  turned 
As,  buried  once,  Men  want  dug  up  again. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

1  HE  looms  of  the  gods  were  busy  that  night,  for  while  at  Kara- 

saki  their  shuttles  were  weaving  the  winding  shroud  of  old  Naka- 

hara,  at  Moto  they  were  threading  a  mantle  of  different  design, 

yet  both  had  as  their  warp  the  coming  of  the  heir  of  the  Yo-Ake. 

Of  late  years,  more  especially  since  that  season  which  had  wit- 


EARTH  AND  GRAIN  55 

nessed  the  sailing  forth  of  Lord  Asano's  son,  a  quiet  reclusiveness 
had  marked  the  Lake  Biwa  castle  of  the  Yo-Ake.  Moto,  like  a 
shore-cast  beautiful  sea  shell,  had  losts  its  former  life  and  luster 
during  the  absence  of  Tokiyori,  but  now,  with  his  anticipated  re- 
turn, it  was  assuming  brilliancy  once  more.  Swift  runners  having 
borne  to  Lord  Yo-Ake  the  tidings  of  his  son's  expected  arrival  at 
Moto,  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  the  grounds  had  as  if  by 
magic  burst  suddenly  into  a  perfect  tousel  of  rich  artistry  from 
a  thousand  twinkling  lanterns.  From  tenshu  to  bastion,  from 
drum  turret  to  yashiki  waving  banners  formed  a  panoply  so  solid 
that  it  seemed  as  if  only  privileged  stars  could  peer  through  it  to 
note  the  happenings  within  the  mighty  walls.  Serried  ranks  of 
samurai,  in  indescribably  rich  armor,  were  drawn  up  under  Mata, 
before  their  nagaya,  extending  from  there  in  two  lines  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  yashiki  itself,  and  on  into  the  interior  of  the  manor 
house,  whose  lower  floor  had  been  thrown  into  one  great  recep- 
tion room  by  the  removal  of  the  partitioning  fusima,  while  stal- 
wart guards  paced  the  great  gateway.  It  was  as  though  some  un- 
seen hand  had  lighted  trees  and  earth,  and  with  a  magic  wand 
peopled  them  with  a  world  of  gallant  knights  in  brilliant  array, 
and  then  drawn  the  skies  down  to  make  a  tapestry  for  the  gor- 
geous setting. 

Within  the  great  lower  room  of  the  yashiki,  so  formed,  sat 
Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake  upon  a  raised  dais,  about  which  were  grouped 
his  household  councilors.  Sage,  thoughtful  men,  these,  their  expe- 
rience and  wisdom  written  upon  their  countenances,  so  that  a 
shrewd  observer  might  have  hazarded  that,  with  a  change  of  island 
policies,  they  would  play  a  most  important  part.  And  just  beyond 
them,  though  somewhat  nearer  the  dais,  was  Kiku-ko  with  her 
bevy  of  ladies-in-waiting,  the  beauty  of  their  kimonos  high-light- 
ing the  impressive  gorgeousness  of  this  picture  set  in  old  Japan. 
Leading  straight  from  the  entrance  of  the  yashiki  to  the  dais,  a 
roll  of  gold  cloth,  brocaded  into  a  thousand  phantasies  of  design 
and  conception,  awaited  the  steps  of  the  coming  heir,  and,  about 
all,  in  attitudes  of  the  greatest  reverence  and  respect,  knelt  the 
vast  gathering  of  household  and  castle  servants.  The  waters  had 
borne  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  back  to  the  land  that  awaited  him;  his 


56  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

own  were  assembled  to  do  him  honor,  and  one  had  died  that  the 
swan-song  of  his  tarrying  might  be  sung. 

Presently  a  slight  movement  fluttered  along  the  lines  of  samu- 
rai without,  so  that  the  attention  of  the  whole  concourse  within 
the  yashiki  was  riveted  toward  its  entrance.  Then  an  officer  of  the 
guard  entering,  approached  the  body  of  councilors  and  spoke  in 
low  tones  to  old  Kano,  its  chief  executive,  who  in  turn  bore  the 
tidings  to  the  ear  of  Lord  Yo-Ake.  It  seemed  that  coolies  bearing 
luggage  and  boxes  had  just  been  admitted  to  the  castle,  reporting 
that  they  preceded  the  returning  heir  of  the  house,  who  had 
stopped  to  witness  the  fete  at  Karasaki.  Lord  Yo-Ake  frowned  at 
the  latter  part  of  this  information;  it  was  not  thus  that  a  son 
should  hasten  his  return  to  an  awaiting  father.  This  malingering 
was  wanting  in  both  filial  respect  to  him,  and  reverence  to  his  po- 
sition. But  to  Kano  he  merely  nodded  his  head  in  confirmation  of 
the  report,  as  the  latter  resumed  his  place  in  the  council.  Yet,  de- 
spite his  outward  serenity,  Lord  Yo-Ake's  heart  was  bitter  within 
him  at  this  humiliation,  for  he  was  aware  that  not  one  of  those 
close  enough  to  him — including  Kiku-ko — to  catch  Kano's  low 
words  but  must  feel  as  did  he  himself.  In  fact  the  impression  this 
information  made  had  already  served  to  create  an  unfortunate 
and  erroneous  undercurrent  of  opinion  against  Tokiyori,  even  be- 
fore his  appearance  among  them. 

Then,  from  far  down  the  road,  they  heard  the  expected  sounds 
at  last,  in  the  faint,  distant  beating  of  staves  and  cries  of  stave- 
men,  telling  all  that  a  norimono  was  approaching.  Louder  and 
louder  the  sounds  grew,  until  the  eager  listeners  could  make  out 
the  words.  What  strange  happening  had  occurred?  For  in  place  of 
the  expected  "Make  way !  Make  way  for  the  noble  young  lord, 
Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  Moto  and  Shima !"  was  heard,  "Make  way ! 
Make  way  for  the  mortal  remains  of  the  great  hanashika,  Naka- 
hara,  a  faithful  servant  to  the  Lord  of  Dawn !"  It  was  thus  that 
Tokiyori  sought  to  honor  the  dead  friend  of  his  childhood.  Before 
an  explanation  could  be  rendered  of  the  unusual  circumstance 
which  told  the  watchers  only  that  one  of  their  household  had  un- 
expectedly and  suddenly  passed  from  them,  a  sentinel  challenged, 
and  the  norimono  was  admitted  to  the  castle  enclosure.  Next 


EARTH  AND  GRAIN  57 

steps  were  heard  approaching  between  the  ranks  of  the  samurai, 
and  those  within  the  yashiki  turned  their  faces  towards  the  en- 
trance, an  expectancy  most  intense  in  its  eagerness  written  upon 
each  countenance.  The  moment  had  long  been  anticipated,  and 
many  were  the  pictures  conceived  by  all  concerning  the  manner  of 
man  that  the  wanderer  might  be,  until  to  each  he  had  assumed, 
aided  by  old  Nakahara's  imagination,  the  portraiture  of  a  martial 
hero.  At  last  the  expected  steps  sounded  at  the  yashiki  entrance, 
and  a  little  gasp  manifested  itself  in  the  apartment.  Kiku-ko  raised 
her  head  from  her  position  upon  the  mats,  and  descried,  through 
staring  eyes,  the  slight  figure  of  the  traveler  approaching.  Thus 
she  remained  as  his  shadow  fell  across  her,  stunned,  for  the  in- 
stant, incapable  of  thought. 

It  was  a  trying  moment  for  all.  By  an  iron  effort  Lord  Yo-Ake 
preserved  an  immobile  countenance.  A  more  pathetically  incon- 
gruous climax  to  this  scene  of  oriental  medisevalism  the  gods 
themselves  could  not  have  arranged.  On  every  hand  were  knights 
in  full  armor,  ladies  in  flowered  kimonos,  and  a  vast  concourse  of 
the  retainers  and  dependants  of  feudalism,  and  facing  them  alone 
was  a  young,  slightly-built  man  in  "Foreign"  garb — black  frock 
coat,  pearl  grey  trousers;  in  his  hand  a  silk  hat  and  cane — occi- 
dental progress  against  oriental  chivalry !  And  the  wearer  of  this 
uncouth  attire  was  a  Yo-Ake,  a  lord  of  Moto  and  Shima — a  Lord 
of  Dawn ! 

For  a  breath  that  seemed  to  Kiku-ko  an  eternity,  the  universe 
stood  still.  Then  suddenly  the  very  earth  itself,  room,  soldiery 
and  servants  reeled  and  spun  in  a  mad  purposeless  whirl  before 
her  eyes — until  she  became  aware  that  this  strange  being  was 
speaking. 

"I  have  returned  to  you,  my  father,"  he  was  saying  in  a  quiet, 
small  voice.  And  after  what  appeared  to  her  an  interminable  in- 
terval, she  was  conscious  that  the  daimio  himself  was  uttering  the 
one  word,  "Irasshai." 

That  was  all.  A  cold,  indifferent,  unemotional  welcome,  such 
as  with  which  one  bids  the  stranger  enter.  Irasshai !  Yet  Kiku-ko 
noted  the  words  of  the  son,  and  the  reply  of  the  father,  but  sub- 
consciously, for  through  her  mind  ran  but  the  one  theme :  "Is  this 
the  man  whom  I  must  marry?  Is  this  the  man?" 


58  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Of  what  further  happened  she  was  but  dimly  aware.  There  was 
a  good  deal  of  orderly  commotion  occasioned  by  the  individual 
presentation  of  heads  of  the  various  household  bodies,  the  individ- 
ual and  privileged  greeting  by  a  few  well-remembered  old  family 
servitors,  and  then  the  formal  presentation  of  the  heir  to  the 
whole  assembled  mass  of  family  retainers  and  dependants.  After 
which  Kano,  in  his  capacity  of  chief  of  the  Yo-Ake  council,  ad- 
ministered to  Tokiyori  the  tremendous  oath  of  loyalty  to  the  fam- 
ily and  country — a  custom  among  the  Yo-Ake  upon  an  heir's  at- 
taining his  majority — while  Mata,  as  captain  of  the  Yo-Ake  samu- 
rai baring  the  great  blade  of  Oni  Yo-Ake,  touched  it  lightly  to  the 
young  man's  forehead,  thereby  setting  the  imaginary  seal  of  the 
founder  of  the  family  upon  the  oath.  At  last,  the  imposing  ritual 
was  complete,  and  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  had  come  into  his  own ;  nor 
had  he  come  empty  handed,  for  he  had  a  something  to  add  to  the 
heirlooms  of  his  fathers  in  comparison  with  which  their  deeds 
and  legends  would  sink  into  mediocrity.  The  council,  samurai  and 
servitors  filed  from  the  great  room  in  orderly  precedence,  till  at 
last  remained  but  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake,  Tokiyori  and  Kiku-ko. 

The  daimio  beckoned  his  ward  to  his  side. 

"Permit  me,  my  son,"  said  he,  conventionally,  "to  present  to  you 
your  future  wife,  my  ward  the  Lady  Kiku-ko  Shimadzu  of  Tsu- 
shima. I  believe  you  were  too  young,"  he  added  to  Kiku-ko,  pat- 
ting her  head  in  fatherly  fashion,  while  he  still  kept  his  gaze  avert- 
ed from  his  son,  "to  recall  much  of  your  affianced  at  the  time  of 
his  departure  from  Nippon." 

Kiku-ko  bowed  low  to  both  noblemen,  and  then  advanced  a  few 
steps  nearer  Tokiyori. 

"It  is  a  great  privilege,"  said  she  formally,  "to  be  afforded  the 
honor  of  adding  my  welcome  to  that  of  your  august  father.  I  trust 
a  peaceful  night's  rest  may  recompense  you  for  the  fatigues  of 
your  journey  home,  and  prepare  you  for  an  enjoyment  of  its  beau- 
ties on  the  morrow." 

Again  she  bent  low  to  the  daimio. 

"With  your  permission,  my  lord,"  she  concluded,  "I  will  wish 
you  o  yasumi  nasai." 

Tokiyori  stood  watching  her  as  she  withdrew,  noting  contem- 


EARTH  AND  GRAIN  59 

platively  that  she  was  exceedingly  pretty,  dainty  and  aristocratic, 
until  the  voice  of  his  father  recalled  him. 

"My  son,"  the  daimio  was  saying,  "messengers  from  Otsu  in- 
formed us  of  your  arrival  there  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening. 
The  journey  hither  is  but  short,  yet  it  was  well  into  the  night  ere 
we  were  permitted  to  extend  our  welcome  to  you." 

"I  stopped  at  Karasaki  for  the  moment,  to  rest  my  stavemen," 
explained  Tokiyori,  "and  was  detained  by  the  death  of  old  Naka- 
hara." 

"Nakahara  dead  ?"  exclaimed  the  daimio. 
He  remained  a  moment  in  thought. 

"I  regret  to  hear  of  such  a  sad  happening  on  the  night  of  your 
return  to  us,"  said  he  in  tones  that  contained  both  a  note  of  sor- 
row at  the  cause  of  the  delay,  and  relief  at  the  explanation  afford- 
ed. "Nakahara  has  been  a  faithful  servant  to  our  house  for  many 
years.  I  would  have  you  always  remember,  and  reward,  faithful 
service,  Tokiyori.  I  had  a  great  affection  for  Nakahara,  he  was 
undoubtedly  a  seer." 

"His  death  occurred  at  the  climax  of  a  story  he  was  telling," 
explained  Tokiyori,  "and  although  I  heard  but  the  end  of  the  tale, 
it  much  impressed  me.  I  believe  it  was  to  some  extent  prophetic 
of  my  journeyings  and  return  with  a  jewel  named  Hope.  I  had  his 
body  conveyed  hither  in  my  norimono." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  nodded,  and  paced  the  apartment  in  meditation, 
while  Tokiyori  awaited  the  further  pleasure  of  his  father.  Finally 
the  daimio  halted  before  his  son,  and  bent  his  gaze  intently  upon 
him.  Then  he  pointed  solemnly  to  the  great  sword  of  Oni  Yo-Ake 
that  rested  once  more  in  its  rack. 

"My  son,"  said  he,  impressively,  "you  doubtless  recall  to  whom 
that  sword  belonged?" 

"Perfectly,"  answered  Tokiyori. 

"Nor,  I  am  sure,"  continued  the  daimio,  indicating  a  little  shrine 
with  a  burning  lamp,  "can  you  for  one  moment  have  forgotten  to 
whom  that  ihai  is  inscribed?" 

"It  is  to  my  mother  in  the  Meido-Land,"  answered  Tokiyori,  in 
hushed,  reverent  tones. 

"Twelve  years  ago,"  continued  the  daimio,  "you  and  I  bade  each 


6O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

other  farewell  upon  the  beach  at  Nagasaki,  and  you  then  swore  to 
me  an  oath.  Do  you  recall  that,  my  son  ?" 

"I  have  forgotten  that  neither,"  replied  Tokiyori.  "It  has  been 
faithfully  fulfilled." 

"What  then,"  asked  Lord  Yo-Ake  in  a  low  voice,  and  just  as 
though  there  had  been  no  intervening  years  since  when  the  first 
utterance  of  those  words  had  determined  him  in  dispatching  his 
son  abroad,  "is  behind  the  visit  of  these  'Foreigners'  to  our 
shores  ?" 

Tokiyori  hesitated,  feeling  it  impossible  to  sum  up  the  knowl- 
edge gained  in  twelve  years  of  observation  and  study  in  one  word 
that  could  be  comprehended  by  his  father. 

"There  are  many  governing  motives,  my  father,"  said  he,  at  last, 
"greed,  the  desire  of  acquisition,  curiosity,  a  belief  that  to  the  oc- 
cidental is  given  the  possession  of  the  earth,  and  possibly  the  hope 
of  colonization.  Yet,  to  assign  to  each  its  rightful  value,  it  will  be 
necessary  that  I  take  you  with  me  on  my  travels,  in  spirit.  For 
only  by  a  recital  of  all  that  I  did  and  witnessed  can  the  answer  to 
your  question  be  comprehended. 
The  daimio  pondered  a  moment. 

"It  shall  be  as  you  say,"  he  agreed,  finally.  "And  as  the  story  may 
take  some  time  in  its  telling,  we  had  best  defer  it  until  tomorrow. 
In  the  meantime,  let  me  assure  you  that  it  gives  me  every  pleasure 
to  bid  you  yoki  irasshai,  Tokiyori ;  you  are  very  greatly  welcome 
to  me,  and  mine." 

He  led  his  son  to  the  little  shrine. 

"Let  us  say  our  prayers  to  the  ihai  of  your  mother  before  retir- 
ing," said  he,  kneeling. 


VII 

A  HEART'S  DESIRE 

Ah  Love!  could  you  and  I  with  Him  conspire 
To  grasp  this  sorry  Scheme  of  Things  entire, 
Would  not  zve  shatter  it  to  bits — and  then 
Re-mould  it  nearer  to  the  Heart's  desire!— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


/\LL  that  night  Kiku-ko  tossed  on  her  futon  in  a  fever  of  con- 
tending emotions,  the  harpies  of  humiliation  and  despair  claiming 
her  successfully  as  their  prey.  And  all  the  while  within  the  great 
castle  walls  the  night  watchman  clanged  his  little  bronze  rings  to 
mark  the  periods  of  his  vigil,  their  musical  jingling  growing  ever 


62  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

fainter  as  he  walked  from  tenshu  to  tenshu,  until  it  ceased  com- 
pletely, only  to  start  afresh  from  the  direction  of  the  taiko-yagura. 
Each  of  these  hour  calls,  that  brought  to  the  sleeping  fortalice  the 
assurance  of  safety  and  peace,  brought  to  the  sleepless  Kiku-ko  a 
thousand  searing  phantasies  to  rend  and  destroy  her  own  rest  and 
happiness. 

Finally  the  jingling  of  the  watchman's  rings  told  her  that  it  was 
the  zenith  of  the  night,  and  so  wanting  but  a  short  hour  to  the 
dawn.  She  arose,  and  throwing  a  light  covering  over  her  shoul- 
ders, sought  the  little  upper  balcony  that  ran  about  the  shoji  of 
her  apartment.  Saving  for  the  glow  from  the  andon  in  her  room 
and  the  lantern  of  the  night  watchman,  the  castle  enclosure  was 
lit  only  by  the  stars  sprinkled  in  the  forest  of  the  skies  like  the 
toro  in  the  woodland  glades  of  Moto.  She  gazed  up  into  the  great 
infinite  beyond,  of  which  she  believed  she  had  once  been  a  part 
with  Saito,  and  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  those  stars  were  but  little 
studded  bolts,  holding  the  awful  bars  in  place  that  shut  her  from 
that  life  and  from  the  soldier,  till  she  felt  as  though  some  terrific 
force  had  lain  roughly  hold  of  her  and  was  dragging  her  irresist- 
ibly from  that  old  world  so  dear  to  her. 

Shivering,  she  reentered  the  room  and  stirred  the  smouldering 
embers  of  her  hibatchi,  for  the  chilliest,  darkest  hour  of  the  night 
was  heralding  the  dawn.  To  the  vigilant  watchman  below  it 
brought  cheer  in  the  knowledge  that  his  tour  of  wakefulness 
would  soon  be  over,  but  to  Kiku-ko  it  told  but  of  the  coming  of 
the  day  when  she  would  have  to  listen  to  undesired  words  from 
the  suitor  arranged  for  by  her  father.  Again  she  crossed  to  the 
shoji,  and  looked  without.  Overhead  the  "sky  lanterns"  were  be- 
ginning to  blink,  for  their  oil  was  running  low,  and  away  beyond 
them — cycles  away — a  lone  star  shot  suddenly  through  space  to- 
ward the  south.  There  it  dissolved  in  a  shower  of  sparks — directly 
over  Satsuma,  thought  Kiku-ko.  Perhaps  it  was  a  maiden  love- 
thought  of  hers  winging  its  swift  way  to  Saito;  she  prayed  the 
gods  he  might  read  it  so  that  they  might  thus  be  enabled  to  con- 
verse with  each  other  through  the  dreary  years  to  come.  Good 
night,  little  eyes  of  the  sky!  The  morn  was  breaking  chill  and 
white,  yet  there  was  still  the  blood-red  of  the  day  to  be  reckoned 
with. 


63 

Unable  longer  to  contain  her  thoughts  within  the  confines  of 
her  room,  Kiku-ko  dressed,  and  quitted  the  yashiki  for  the  iris 
pond  that  lay  near  the  great  gate.  Thus  it  was  that  Tokiyori,  aris- 
ing and  sliding  the  shoji  of  his  room,  spied  her  in  the  early  morn- 
ing of  the  perfect  summer  day,  and  again  he  took  thought  on  the 
exquisite  daintiness  of  this  woman  who  was  to  be  his  wife.  From 
watching  her  he  glanced  about  at  the  remembered  scenes  of  his 
boyhood,  his  mind  naturally  reverting  to  the  memories  they  in- 
voked. There  was  the  pool  at  the  foot  of  the  little  waterfall  from 
which  old  Nakahara  had  once  rescued  him,  and  just  beyond  the 
wistaria  bower  where  the  old  hanashika  was  wont  to  squat  and 
tell  him  wondrous  tales  of  giants  and  fairies.  It  seemed  now  but 
yesterday  since  these  scenes  had  had  a  life  for  him,  and  he  sighed 
a  little  as  he  realized  how  very  different  was  the  present,  and  how 
still  more  foreign  would  be  the  future.  Old  Nakahara  would  never 
tell  a  story  again  in  this  life — and  himself?  These  environs  were 
all  unchanged,  his  life  was  no  longer  affected  by  them.  Circum- 
stances were  responsible  for  this,  of  course — when  are  they  not? 
It  was  a  sad  reproach  against  them  that  he  perceived  for  the  first 
time  that  he  had  had  no  young  manhood — nothing  but  an  all  too 
short  childhood,  and  then  the  leap  across  the  years  to  a  thought- 
ful, prematurely  staid  age.  The  responsibilities  lain  on  him  by  his 
father  had  robbed  him  of  the  joyous  sensings  of  development,  and 
bent  him  with  the  greater  weights  of  life.  Musing  in  this  strain, 
he  dressed  hastily  and  left  the  yashiki  for  the  iris  pond. 

There  he  came  upon  Kiku-ko,  apparently  so  enwrapt  in  thought 
as  to  be  unaware  of  his  presence,  until  his  first  words  fell  upon 
her  ears. 

"The  iris  are  fortunate,"  he  remarked.  "They  are  permitted  to 
open  their  eyes  to  your  beauty  this  morning.  I  envy  them." 

"I  love  the  iris,"  she  answered,  bowing  to  him.  "Their  very 
name,  'ayame,'  is  the  soul  of  poetry  itself,  nor  do  I  think  that  any- 
thing can  be  more  perfectly  beautiful  than  these  buds  as  they 
break  forth  upon  the  world.  They  are  early  somewhat  this  year. 
Perhaps  it  is  in  honor  of  your  homecoming." 

"More  likely  mere  curiosity  to  observe  what  manner  of  person 
I  am,"  he  answered  lightly.  "Yet  I  should  feel  flattered  that  even 


64  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  iris  deem  me  worthy  their  attention.  I  had  more  than  feared 
my  very  existence  would  be  forgotten  in  Nippon." 

She  stooped  to  bury  her  head  among  the  buds,  then  plucking 
one  whose  first  petal  was  slowly  unrolling,  presented  it  to  him. 

"I  had  no  opportunity  of  offering  any  attentions  to  you  last 
night,"  he  continued,  "owing  to  the  publicity  of  our  meeting.  Per- 
mit me  to  do  so  now,  and  pray  believe  that  nothing  but  the  pres- 
ence of  others  could  have  kept  me  from  your  side." 

She  realized  that  some  answer  to  this  was  necessary,  and  yet 
still  so  heavy  was  her  heart,  she  could  not  bring  herself  to  make 
the  obvious  reply.  Finally  she  hazarded : 

"I  suppose  Nippon  must  seem  to  you  very — how  shall  I  say  it — 
small,  insignificant,  uninteresting  perhaps  after  your  long  sojourn 
among  so  many  mightier  nations  ?" 

"Say  rather  that  I  find  it  more  beautiful  than  ever,"  he  correct- 
ed, smiling.  His  smile  was  one  of  the  pleasantest  things  about 
Tokiyori,  for  through  it  seemed  to  peer  his  true,  inner  self — ten- 
der, poetic,  magnetic. 

"I  have  found  nowhere,"  he  went  on,  "fairer  landscape,  richer 
verdure,  nor  anything  that  could  approach  my  country  in  the  rare 
simplicity  of  its  charms.  Among  the  'Foreigners'  there  is  ever  an 
overglutting  in  the  display  of  things  of  beauty,  so  that  an  indi- 
vidual perfection  is  lost  in  the  bewildering  extravagance  of  the 
whole.  To  us  a  single  bud  cadences  in  myriad  tones ;  to  them  its 
best  perfection  is  found  in  tier  upon  tier  of  heaped  and  smother- 
ing flowers.  So  is  it  also  with  their  surroundings  and  their  per- 
sonal adornment,  where  beauty  exists  not  in  the  thing  itself,  but  in 
its  numerical  multiplication.  One  needs  seek  Nippon  to  learn  the 
exquisite  perfection  of  simplicity." 

"Then  one  may  feel  assured  that  you  have  never  forgotten  your 
birthland?"  she  asked. 

"Nor  its  people — particularly  one,"  he  answered. 

"It  will  be  a  great  solace  to  Tonosama,"  said  Kiku-ko,  "to  know 
that  he  has  been  in  your  thoughts  so  often.  I  know,  myself,  that 
not  a  day  since  you  left  him  has  passed  but  that  he  has  planned  of 
your  return,  and  of  the  many  things  in  store  to  make  your  future 
bright.  And  poor  old  Nakahara,  too !  How  he  would  picture  your 


A  HEART'S  DESIRE  65 

wanderings  to  us,  and  the  hour  when  he  would  be  privileged  to 
behold  you  again!  Indeed/'  she  concluded,  "I  doubt  if  you  will 
ever  realize  the  anxiety  and  loving  thought  that  was  given  you 
during  your  absence,  daily,  hourly." 
He  came  a  step  nearer  to  her  side. 

"And  you,"  said  he,  "did  you  too  think  about  me?  Did  you  also 
picture  what  manner  of  man  I  might  have  grown  into?  What 
manner  of  man  it  was  to  whom  you  were  promised?" 

"Often,"  she  replied,  frankly.  "Indeed  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  have  remained  long  in  Nakahara's  presence  without 
seeing  vivid  representations  of  you.  His  conversation,  and  latter- 
ly his  tales,  were  exclusively  on  that  one  topic.  Most  dearly  of  all 
he  loved  to  picture  you  as  climbing  great  mountains  in  quest  of 
hidden  treasure.  It  was  thus  I  came  to  think  of  you." 

"Until  I  shattered  your  illusion  by  the  manner  of  my  advent," 
he  rejoined,  smiling.  "I  quite  appreciate  that  point  of  view,  I  as- 
sure you.  Yet,  despite  the  very  poor  figure  I  am  aware  I  must 
have  presented  in  contrast  to  the  surrounding  galaxy,!  would  have 
you  believe  that  old  Nakahara  was  not  altogether  wrong  in  his 
surmises.  Without  doubt  he  possessed  very  wonderful  qualities  of 
so-called  foresight,  which  I  fear  we  did  not  always  give  him  due 
credit  for.  For  instance,  it  was  due,  I  have  heard,  to  a  tale  of  his 
concerning  a  samurai  and  a  crow  that  the  incentive  to  my  voyag- 
ings  was  given  birth  in  my  father's  mind,  and  it  was  but  last  night 
that  another  story  of  his,  concerning  an  eyeless  frog,  prophesied 
my  coming,  even  before  he  could  possibly  have  been  aware  of  my 
return.  So,  if  he  has  also  told  you  that  I  was  climbing  great  moun- 
tains in  quest  of  hidden  treasure,  you  may  believe  it  to  the  full. 
But  for  the  height  and  difficulty  of  the  ascent  I  should  have  been 
back  here  long  since.  Nakahara  was  not  merely  a  hanashika,  he 
was  a  seer." 

Kiku-ko  made  no  pretense  of  following  the  drift  of  all  this.  She 
realized,  dimly,  that  Tokiyori  was  himself  speaking  allegorically 
when  referring  to  his  mountain  climbing,  for  his  material  person- 
ality divested  him,  to  her  mind,  of  anything  savoring  of  mighty 
physical  deeds,  such  as  might  have  been  performed  by  Saito.  Be- 
yond that  realization,  however,  she  could  connect  nothing,  for  the 


66  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

real  object  of  Tokiyori's  travels  was  but  known  to  his  father  and 
himself. 

"Many  things  are,  of  course,  hidden  to  me,"  said  she  at  last,  "for 
I  am  only  a  woman.  Nor  can  I  pretend  to  understand  these  refer- 
ences of  yours  and  Nakahara's.  Yet  I,  too,  used  in  my  way  to  fol- 
low an  imaginary  course  of  travel  for  you  through  'Foreign' 
lands.  I  would  like  to  know  whether  my  vision  at  all  approached 
the  real  truth.  Will  you  not  tell  me  something  of  life  among  the 
'Barbarians?'" 

"Gladly,"  he  answered.  "Yet  there  are  'Foreigners'  resident  now, 
and  for  some  time  past,  in  Yedo,  whom  you  have  doubtless  seen." 

"Only  through  the  portrayals  by  others,"  she  explained. 

"A  delineation  of  the  'Foreigners'  would  entail  a  rather  too 
lengthy  story  for  your  patience,  I  fear,"  said  he,  "for  they  are  so 
numerous  in  nationalities,  and  so  varied  in  local  customs,  that  it 
would  require  many  hours  of  closest  attention  to  such  a  recital 
before  you  would  begin  to  understand  their  modes  of  life.  It  oc- 
casioned me,  even  when  among  them,  many  years  of  laborious 
study  and  observation  before  I  could  approach  to  a  comprehen- 
sion of  them.  Rather  let  me  describe  to  you  something  of  the 
characteristics  of  their  women — a  subject  which  I  think  will  prove 
of  greater  interest  and  which  is  really  one  of  primary  importance 
in  the  study  of  all  races." 

She  assented  eagerly,  seating  herself  on  a  nearby  rustic  rest, 
and  there  among  the  flowers  of  old  Japan,  girt  in  by  the  walls  of 
a  feudal  castle  still  in  its  mediaeval  existence,  Tokiyori,  the  then 
lone  connecting  link  between  past  and  present,  between  orient  and 
Occident,  painted  for  the  woman  who  was  shortly  to  become  his 
wife  a  picture  of  the  new  Japan  to  be,  and  which  he  had  traveled 
so  far  and  long  to  attain  knowledge  of.  He  touched  on  the  individ- 
ual life  of  womanhood,  upon  its  fulfillment  in  the  home  life,  and 
its  relation  to  the  life  of  the  whole  nation,  instancing  the  fame  and 
histories  of  women  whose  names  had  made  the  world  ring  of  their 
majesty  and  learning,  and  Kiku-ko  followed  each  phase  of  his  re- 
cital with  mingled  feelings  of  curiosity  and  awe.  His  canvas  was 
fresh,  and  the  portraitures  he  sketched  upon  it  stood  forth  start- 
lingly  to  her.  These  beings  were  the  antithesis  of  everything  f  emi- 


67 

nine  in  Japan.  They  married  according  to  individual  choice,  had 
pursuits  and  pleasures  apart  from  their  household  cares,  and 
even  expressed  opinions  boldly  in  gatherings  where  men  were 
present.  She  could  hardly  conceive  such  a  state  of  affairs,  and  she 
felt  in  her  insularity  that  such  creatures  could  be  deserving  of 
very  little  of  the  respect  he  so  evidently  accorded  them. 

"It  is  by  a  reflection  of  such  lives  that  a  nation  attains  its  noblest 
growth!"  said  he,  carried  away  by  his  subject.  "Wherefrom  does 
the  babe  draw  many  of  its  most  lasting  impressions — impressions 
that  remain  ineffaceably  foundational  throughout  its  whole  life? 
I  think,  without  doubt,  at  its  mother's  knee.  Supposing  then  that 
mother  to  be  qualified  not  only  to  teach  it  of  the  material  exigen- 
cies of  its  life,  but  to  enter  into  the  spiritual  phases  as  well,  help- 
ing and  suggesting  each  step,  each  new  study — would  not  such  in- 
struction, coupled  with  a  father's  larger  aid,  tend  to  make  of  that 
babe  a  mighty  man  when  it  reaches  years  of  mature  thought?  It 
is  the  purest  reason.  Yet  how  may  our  wives  and  mothers  be  quali- 
fied to  rear  such  types  of  men  when  we  keep  them  apart  from  our 
real  lives  and  thoughts  ?  The  whole  national  fabric  is  but  the  com- 
bined principal  of  each  of  its  individual  families, and  the  individu- 
al family  life  is  but  the  life  of  each  of  its  members  combined. 
What  wonder,  Kiku-ko  san,  that  the  Japan  of  our  system  of  fam- 
ily life  could  make  no  stand  against  these  'Foreign'  nations?" 

What  answer  she  might  have  made  to  this  he  did  not  learn,  for 
at  that  moment  a  servant,  seeking  him,  bore  the  intimation  that 
the  daimio  was  now  ready  to  receive  his  son.  So,  perforce,  Toki- 
yori  left  the  woman  who  was  to  become  his  wife  without  satisfy- 
ing himself  as  to  her  views  on  life,  which  after  all  may  have  been 
at  that  time  no  very  unfortunate  thing.  Thus  do  the  gods  in  their 
infinite  wisdom  lead  our  blind  and  ignorant  feet  into  paths  we 
otherwise  would  fear  to  tread. 


VIII 

THE  FILING  OF  THE  KEY 


The  Vine  had  struck  a  fiber,  which  about 
If  clings  my  Being — let  the  Dervish  flout, 
Of  my  Base  metal  may  be  filed  a  Key 
That  shall  unlock  the  Door  he  howls  without.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

1  HE  sun  had  stretched  the  shadows  almost  to  the  extent  of  their 
tensity  that  afternoon  before  Tokiyori's  recital  of  his  travels  to 
his  father  was  completed.  He  had  striven  to  purge  his  narrative 
of  all  excepting  the  essentially  vital,  and  in  this  had  been  assisted 
from  time  to  time  by  questions  wisely  put  by  the  daimio.  But,  even 


THE  FILING  OF  THE  KEY  69 

with  this,  he  had  found  himself  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  "compress 
his  Iliad  into  a  nutshell."  Lord  Yo-Ake,  realizing  this,  felt  his  con- 
fidence in  his  son's  acumen  fully  justified,  and  his  belief  in  him 
once  more  restored. 

The  interview  ended  with  but  slight  comment  on  its  conduct 
from  the  daimio,  for  it  was  a  tenet  of  his  to  observe  everything 
and  say  little ;  to  the  practice  of  this  he  largely  owed  his  diplo- 
matic success.  As  his  son  retreated  through  the  fusima,  he  fell 
to  studying  intently  some  maps  and  drawings  left  by  the  latter  on 
his  writing  table.  After  a  few  moments  of  silent  observation  of 
these,  he  bowed  his  head  as  though  in  confirmation. 

"Such  is  the  inexorable  law  of  life,"  he  mused.  "Either  as  indi- 
viduals or  as  nations  we  accumulate  forced  debts  that  must  be  dis- 
charged whether  there  is  the  wherewithal  to  satisfy  them  or  no. 
It  is  the  outcome  of  our  habitually  natural  greed  that  has  its  foun- 
dation in  a  still  existant  primeval  instinct  of  self  preservation.  I 
doubt  that  we  evolve  but  along  our  lines  of  least  resistance — our 
surface  veneer.  Yet  Nippon  has  been  too  long  a  frog  sucking  in 
the  moisture  from  its  own  well,  alone.  And  now  that  to  this  well 
have  come  other  frogs,  the  home  frog  must  seek  fresh  pools  for 
its  maintenance." 

He  picked  at  random  some  pictures  and  a  diagram  from  the  lit- 
tle pile  of  maps  upon  his  table.  They  were  representations  of  the 
partly  constructed  Suez  Canal. 

"O,  wise  nation  of  the  English !"  said  he.  "What  culmination  of 
a  finely  exercised  judgment,  when  allowing  others  to  perform  the 
work  from  which  you  reap  your  profits.  Gods  of  my  house !  what 
a  little  people  have  been  we  of  Nippon !  Beneath  our  very  hands 
lies  an  enormous  virgin  ocean  that  we  have  failed  to  see,  its  bil- 
lows beating  upon  our  shores  we  in  our  deafness  have  failed  to 
hear.  We,  the  natural  jewel  of  its  diadem — the  only  possible  con- 
vergence of  its  traffic  routes,  know  not  even  the  meaning  of  the 
words  'Trade'  and  'Commerce.'  Comes  not  such  ignorance  upon 
us  because  we  of  the  daimioates,  with  our  samurai,  have  blinded 
the  land  with  our  one-purpose  creed — Bushido  ?" 

Laying  aside  the  pictures  and  diagrams,  he  bent  over  a  map, 
which  he  studied  intently  a  moment.  The  indications  thereon  were, 


7<D  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

of  course,  indecipherable  by  him,  but  the  area  represented  had 
been  traversed  by  his  son,  and  that  son's  finger  had  traced  the 
salient  points  not  once,  nor  twice,  but  a  score  of  times  that  very 
day. 

From  India  he  drew  an  imaginary  line  to  and  through  the  Suez 
Canal  to  England,  and  smiled.  From  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  he  made  a  similar  line  toward  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  great  continent,  pausing  at  the  narrow  strip  of  land  that 
formed  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  regarded  this  intently.  Then 
he  observed  the  great  sweep  of  the  Pacific  slopes  of  America,  and 
shook  his  head  as  though  at  an  unsolven  problem. 

"I  did  Tokiyori  an  injustice,"  he  observed,  half  aloud  as  was  his 
habit  when  engrossed  in  thought,  "when  I  censured  him  for  his 
prolonged  tarrying  in  England.  He  chose  as  his  particular  study 
the  undoubtedly  wisest  and  greatest  traders  of  the  world.  I  con- 
fess to  an  admiration  for  this  nation.  It  encourages  others  to  dig 
waterways  which  it  shall  eventually  absorb  to  its  own  exclusive 
interests  and  profits;  it  builds  a  mighty  concourse  of  trading 
ships,  and  polices  the  seas  for  these  with  fighting  boats  and  chains 
of  fortresses.  It  seems  to  me  the  acme  of  wisdom  and  power  when 
a  nation  arranges  to  carry  the  world's  necessities  in  its  own  ships, 
for  it  is  carrying  the  life  of  the  world  to  its  own  profit.  Yet  with 
all  this  commerce  carrying  and  control  of  countries  and  oceans 
it  seems  that  England  is  but  a  little  group  of  islands — as  are  we. 
And  Tokiyori  says  that  it  is  from  another  country — India — that 
she  draws  the  bulk  of  the  resources  for  her  vast  undertakings." 

He  regarded  the  map  again,  fixedly. 

"India  is — one  might  hazard — at  least  an  hundred  times  further 
from  England  than  China  from  us.  May  not  China  prove  as  vast 
and  wealthy  as  this  India  ?  And  is  she  not  in  her  hermit  state  like 
ourselves,  another  isolated  frog?" 

He  touched  with  his  finger  the  pictured  Pacific  ocean  and  the 
little  groups  of  islands  that  dotted  it. 

"A  chain  of  fortresses  and  a  concourse  of  war  boats,"  said  he, 
"and  this  sea  might  change  its  name  to  the  Lake  of  Japan." 

He  laid  aside  maps,  documents  and  pictures  carefully. 
"So,"  he  concluded,  "it  seems  that  Trade  spells  Wealth,  and 


THE  FILING  OF  THE   KEY  71 

Wealth,  Power.  Therein  lay  the  wisdom  of  Nakahara's  crow 
when  it  advised  his  samurai  to  put  aside  the  sword  and  study  care- 
fully the  roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire.  My  son  has  returned  to 
me  with  unknown  wisdom  from  the  outer  world.  This  may  be  of 
material  benefit  to  the  Mikado  if  directed  to  his  attention." 

For  a  long  time  he  remained  sunk  in  thought,  reviewing  the  pol- 
itical situation  of  his  country,  the  fast  failing  Tokugawas,  and  the 
chances  of  the  Mikado's  party  to  wrest  the  power  from  the  usurp- 
ing Shogunate.  Finally  he  called  a  servant  and  bade  him  summon 
to  him  Kano,  his  chief  of  household  council.  In  the  interim  of 
awaiting  the  coming  of  the  latter,  Lord  Yo-Ake  prepared  a  short 
document  with  great  care.  He  had  just  concluded  this  when  the 
councilor  entered  the  apartment,  bowing  low  to  his  lord. 

"Arise,  excellent  Kano,"  said  the  daimio,  "and  draw  near." 

"It  is  my  wish,"  he  continued  in  lower  tones,  as  Kano  came 
closer  to  his  side,  "that  this  night  you  journey  to  Kyoto  and  seek 
audience  of  the  Mikado.  Present  to  him  my  humble  and  devoted- 
ly respectful  salutations,  and  say,  'My  -lord,  Asano  Yo-Ake,  of 
Moto  and  Shima,  has  at  your  Majesty's  disposal  an  hundred 
thousand  koku  of  rice  and  six  thousand  samurai.  He  but  craves 
your  Majesty's  seal  upon  this  document." 
He  handed  it  to  Kano,  who  bowed  again. 

"Your  will  is  a  law  to  me,  my  lord,"  said  he  simply. 

Lord  Yo-Ake  watched  the  withdrawing  councilor  out  of  the 
tail  of  his  eye. 

"Kano  is  growing  old  in  my  service,  and  is  very  faithful,"  he 
reflected.  "I  will  instruct  Mata  to  watch  his  going  to,  and  return- 
ing from,  Kyoto,  so  that  there  may  be  no  possible  intercourse 
with  other  travelers.  A  hint  of  this  message  would  ruin  me  and 
my  house.  Mata,  too,  is  born  to  my  service,  and  of  proven  fidelity. 
One  may  trust  a  friend  with  one's  money,  a  woman  with  one's 
name,  but  neither  with  one's  secrets." 
Again  he  summoned  his  servant. 

"Instruct  the  Lady  Kiku-ko  that  I  request  her  presence  here  as 
soon  as  may  be  possible,"  he  ordered. 


IX 


YOUTHS    MANUSCRIPT  CLOSED 


Yet  Ah,  that  Spring  should  vanish  with  the  Rose! 
That  Youth's  sweet-scented  manuscript  should  close! 

The  Nightingale  that  in  the  branches  sang, 
Ah  whence,  and  whither  flown  again,  who  knows! — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

LORD  Yo-Ake  greeted  Kiku-ko  pleasantly  as  she  entered  his 
room. 

"My  daughter,"  said  he,  as  was  his  accustomed  mode  of  ad- 
dressing her,  "I  have  sent  for  you  because  the  time  is  now  near  at 
hand  when  you  are  to  become  actually — what  you  have  always 


YOUTH'S  MANUSCRIPT  CLOSED  73 

virtually  been — one  of  our  family.  You  and  I  have  both  waited 
the  return  of  my  son  so  long  that  I  can  see  no  further  reason  for 
prolonging  the  date  of  your  nuptials ;  and  let  me  assure  you  that  I 
have  every  belief  that  this  union  will  prove  both  a  happy  and 
blessed  one,  and  that  my  most  earnest  prayers  and  wishes  are  all 
directed  towards  the  welfare  of  yourself  and  my  son,  in  the  life 
you  will  shortly  enter  upon  together." 

He  picked  a  sealed  roll  of  writing  off  the  table  before  him, 
holding  it  in  his  hand  while  he  continued  addressing  her. 

"Thirteen  years  ago,"  said  he,  quietly,  "your  father,  Lord  Suki 
Shimadzu,  was  my  guest  at  Shima,  in  Yedo.  The  occasion,  as  you 
now  know,  was  one  of  the  saddest.  He  had  attempted  to  give  ac- 
cess to  his  island  port,  Idzu-ga-hara,  to  some  'Foreigners'  as  a 
place  where  they  might  repair  their  ships,  and  found  a  colony.  In 
this  he  preceded  events,  but  whether  he  was  right  or  wrong  is  not 
for  us  to  say.  He  was  awarded  the  death  by  seppuku  in  a  mandate 
which  the  Shogun  petitioned  the  Mikado  to  utter.  I  was  your 
father's  closest  friend,  so  that  it  was  not  strange  that  he  should 
seek  me  out  at  such  a  time.  On  the  last  night  of  his  life  he  handed 
me  this  sealed  packet,  requesting  that  I  deliver  it  to  you  upon  the 
eve  of  your  nuptials  with  my  son." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  held  forth  the  packet  to  Kiku-ko,  impressively. 
"After  you  have  read  this,  he  concluded,  you  must  be  the  sole 
judge  as  to  whether  the  contents  are  of  such  a  nature  as  should 
be  communicated  to  me  or  not.  In  any  case,  you  will,  I  am  sure, 
understand  that  I  have  no  thought  of  forcing  your  confidence  in 
any  way." 

She  bowed  to  him,  feeling  that  the  interview  was  terminated. 
"A  moment  more,  my  daughter,"  said  he,  as  she  prepared  to 
leave,  "I  desire  that  you  make  what  immediate  preparations  are 
necessary  for  your  coming  wedding,  which — unless  otherwise  pre- 
vented by  unforseen  circumstances — will  take  place  before  an- 
other moon  is  full.  You  may  withdraw  to  the  privacy  of  your  own 
apartment  now,  as  I  am  sure  you  must  be  anxious  to  learn  the 
contents  of  your  father's  letter." 

He  bowed  courteously  in  dismissal,  and  Kiku-ko,  returning  it 
profoundly,  left  him  to  the  contemplation  of  his  reading  and  writ- 


74  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

ing,  while  with  quick  steps  she  sought  the  privacy  of  her  own 
rooms. 

There  she  broke  the  seal  of  the  packet  with  a  feeling  of  awe, 
and  drew  forth  a  small,  tightly  folded  slip  of  paper,  with  a  roll  of 
writing.  The  former  she  undid  first.  It  contained  a  small  jade  tab- 
let, and  upon  the  paper  enfolding  it  was  written :  "Once  the  prop- 
erty of  your  mother.  Keep  it  in  the  memory  of  her  whom  you 
never  knew." 

She  pressed  the  tablet  to  her  brow  reverently,  and  then  placed 
it  carefully  in  a  little  lacquered  case  that  stood  upon  a  small  dress- 
er before  a  mirror  of  polished  steel.  The  second  enclosure  proved 
to  be  more  lengthy  than  the  foregoing,  and  ran  in  this  wise : 

"To  my  beloved  daughter,  Kiku-ko  Shimadzu; 
"Your  father  stove. 

"My  Daughter:  Death  is  about  to  remove  me  from  you  before 
we  have  scarce  come  to  know  each  other,  yet  it  is  to  you  alone 
that  my  thoughts  turn  on  this  my  last  earthly  night. 

"When  your  dear  mother,  my  beloved  wife,  died  at  the  hour  of 
your  birth,  I  then  swore  that  nothing  I  could  accomplish  should 
be  left  undone  to  provide  for  your  future  welfare.  Yet  how  little 
do  we  blind  mortals  forsee  the  purposes  of  the  gods!  for  I,  your 
father,  must  even  now  pass  from  you,  leaving  you  naught  more 
than  that  with  which  a  beggar  may  pittance  his  offspring — love. 

"With  the  justice,  or  injustice,  of  my  ordered  death  we  need 
have  no  further  concern,  for  that  question  may  only  be  answered 
by  the  conscience  of  the  one  who  commanded  it,  to  his  gods. 
Therefore,  I  pray  that  you  do  not  allow  such  a  question  to  harass 
or  perplex  your  future.  But  the  results  of  that  death  materially 
affect  both  you  and  your  welfare.  Concerned  mostly  with  this,  I 
have  sought  out  my  old  friend,  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake,  at  Shima, 
and  he  has  most  generously  agreed  to  receive  you  into  his  own 
family  as  one  of  its  members,  thereby  assuring,  in  a  measure, 
your  future.  Lord  Yo-Ake  is  a  man  of  vaster  influence  than  is 
generally  conceded  him  by  the  superficial  observer,  and  because 
of  this,  and  also  of  the  position  he  holds  on  the  Baka-fu  and  in 
the  private  councils  of  the  Shogun,  I  have  every  hope  that  he  will 


YOUTH'S  MANUSCRIPT  CLOSED  75 

be  enabled  to  attain  for  you  the  restoration  of  my  estates,  forfeit- 
ed to  the  Tokugawa.  Yet,  whether  or  no  he  is  eventually  success- 
ful in  this,  you  will  always  be  far  removed  from  want,  both  be- 
cause you  will  be  to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  daughter  of  one 
of  Nippon's  most  powerful  nobles,  and  because,  in  due  time,  you 
will  become  the  wife  of  his  son  and  heir.  So  we  have  agreed. 
Therefore,  Kiku-ko,  I  conjure  you  to  always  regard  Lord  Yo-Ake 
with  feelings  of  the  deepest  gratitude,  and  to  render  him  that  un- 
questioning filial  respect  and  obedience  that  you  would  have  given 
me  had  I  been  permitted  to  live  to  receive  them. 

"Of  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  your  future  husband,  I  know  little,  sav- 
ing that  he  is  a  shy,  quiet  lad,  studious  and  thoughtful  beyond  his 
years.  No  doubt  his  father  destines  him  for  great  political  signifi- 
cance some  day.  Yet  not  alone  because  of  the  securing  of  your 
material  future  have  I  arranged  for  your  betrothal  to  this  lad,  as 
what  follows  will  show  to  you. 

"Upon  this  night,  the  eve  of  my  death,  I  have  heard  an  impres- 
sive story  told.  It  concerned  a  samurai  and  a  crow ;  its  author  a 
hanashika — Nakahara  by  name — in  the  service  of  Lord  Yo-Ake. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  tale,  the  samurai  was  made  to  see  the 
error  of  the  time-worn  road  he  purposed  following,  and  to  find 
the  right  way  to  the  City  of  Desire.  Nippon's  City  of  Desire  is 
soon,  I  believe,  to  be  unfolded  to  her  vision,  and  of  all  her  samu- 
rai but  one,  I  feel — Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake — will  be  able  to  point 
out  the  right  pathway  to  her.  Yet  it  has  always  been  Lord  Yo- 
Ake's  practice  to  remain  in  the  background,  working  through  the 
outward  efforts  of  others.  Such  being  the  case,  I  doubt  not  that 
the  first  to  traverse  this  new  and  difficult  road  to  our  City  of  De- 
sire will  be  Lord  Yo-Ake's  only  son,  your  future  husband. 

"In  the  Meido-Land,  dear  daughter,  where  I  shall  so  soon  be  with 
your  mother,  my  happiness  will  be  complete  when  I  am  permitted 
to  watch  you  and  your  husband  leading  our  nation  to  this  great 
achievement;  yet,  I  warn  you  now  that  you  may  find  the  way  dif- 
ficult in  the  extreme,  and  that  from  yourself  only  can  come  the 
strength  to  overcome  its  obstacles,  for  he  who  walks  beside  you 
can  not  drag  you  along  it,  so  much  will  it  tax  his  own  utmost 
strength  to  traverse  it  himself. 


76  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"And  now  a  last  word  as  to  the  full  meaning  of  this  union  of 
yours  with  Lord  Yo-Ake's  son.  It  will  of  course  ally  the  Satsuma 
family  influence  with  the  Yo-Ake  power,  thus  consolidating  the 
midlands  and  the  south ;  but,  still  more  significant  and  glorious,  it 
will,  I  hope  and  believe,  virtually  unite  our  old  Japan  with  a  new, 
the  result  of  which  should  be  a  great,  irresistible  oneness.  From 
the  outcome  of  all  this,  my  daughter,  it  is  my  fervid  hope  that  a 
child  shall  spring,  half  Satsuma,  half  Yo-Ake;  half  old,  half  new 
Japan — a  saviour  and  a  leader  to  our  newer  and  greater  country. 
So  then  will  it  happen,  Kiku-ko,  that  my  death  shall  not  have 
been  in  vain  if  from  it  one  with  the  blood  of  Shimadzu  shall  be 
born  to  lead  his  country  to  the  City  of  Desire. 

"The  dawn  approaches. 

"Farewell ;  the  gods  have  you  in  their  keeping. 

"Your  father, 

"SuKi  SHIMADZU, 
"Lord  Suzerain  of  the  Isle  of  Tsushima." 

Kiku-ko  laid  the  letter  aside.  Just  beneath  her  window  some 
woodland  doves  were  billing  and  cooing  among  the  bushes  that 
girt  the  shrubbery  path.  Suddenly  she  dropped  her  head  in  her 
hands,  bursting  into  sobs. 

Lord  Saito,  returning  from  Kyoto,  arrived  at  Moto  late  that 
day.  Since  he  had  left  Kiku-ko  last — the  morning  following  the 
incident  of  his  vision,  told  her  in  the  wistaria  bower — he  had 
come  to  the  conviction  that  he  could  no  longer  exist  without  her. 
He  had  at  first  striven  to  fight  off  this  growing  desire,  fearing 
that  a  yielding  to  it  might  end  in  the  ruin  of  the  career  he  had 
mapped  out  for  himself,  for  he  was  worldly  wise  enough  to  per- 
ceive that  a  wife  would  but  retard  a  young  soldier's  ambitions 
and  was  a  luxury  to  be  best  enjoyed  when  able  to  rest  upon  the 
laurels  gained  by  martial  valor.  Yet,  master  as  he  was  generally 
of  his  actions  and  impulses,  he  was  forced  to  admit  to  himself 
finally  that,  when  weighed  against  Kiku-ko,  his  military  ambi- 
tions became  secondary.  When  this  had  become  fully  clear  to  him, 
he  decided  to  lose  no  time  in  securing  the  prize  he  so  ardently 
coveted,  and  although  aware  that  Tokiyori  was  the  nominal  affi- 


YOUTH'S  MANUSCRIPT  CLOSED  77 

anced  of  Kiku-ko,  he  believed  that  Lord  Yo-Ake  would  scarce 
care  to  offend  so  powerful  a  family  as  his  by  refusing  to  accede 
to  his  wishes  in  this  respect.  Thus  the  same  hour  that  found  Kiku- 
ko  perusing  the  letter  from  her  father,  saw  Saito  alighting  from 
his  kago  in  the  courtyard  of  Moto. 

He  found  the  daimio  in  his  own  room,  and,  being  yet  unaware 
of  the  return  of  Tokiyori,  proceeded  to  come  immediately  to  the 
purport  of  his  unexpected  visit. 

"I  have  given  myself  the  honor  of  again  seeking  your  lordship," 
said  he,  with  soldierly  bluntness,  "in  order  that  I  may  place  my 
plea  in  person  before  you.  For  some  time  past  I  have  known  that 
I  love  my  cousin,  Kiku-ko  Shimadzu,  your  lordship's  ward.  I 
am,  of  course,  aware  that  there  may  have  been  at  one  time  some 
idea  expressed  between  rriy  uncle,  Shimadzu,  and  yourself  regard- 
ing a  possibility  of  Kiku-ko's  one  day  becoming  the  wife  of  your 
son.  As,  however,  time  has  elapsed  without  his  return,  and  as  I 
am  assured  my  cousin  would  welcome  a  marriage  with  me,  I  ven- 
ture to  hope  that  the  indefiniteness  of  the  former  arrangement 
may  lead  you,  sir,  to  an  acquiescence  in  accepting  me  in  the  light 
of  a  suitor." 

He  ceased,  and  Lord  Yo-Ake  regarded  him  attentively,  seeking 
some  means  of  refusing  this  proposal  without  giving  offense.  Sai- 
to, he  realized,  might,  on  account  of  his  prestige  with  samurai 
and  populace,  be  very  necessary  to  his  plans  shortly,  and  it  would 
never  do  to  antagonize  him.  It  was  a  difficult  and  delicate  position. 
On  the  other  hand,  Saito's  plea  could  not  be  entertained  because 
it  was  necessary  that  the  Yo-Ake  family  should  have  the  support 
of  the  Satsuma  clan  in  what  Lord  Yo-Ake  proposed  undertaking, 
and  that  support  could  only  be  controlled  by  this  alliance  of  Toki- 
yori with  Kiku-ko.  Saito  must  be  gently  apprised  of  Tokiyori's  re- 
turn, and  shown  that  not  because  of  that  return — which  might 
serve  to  antagonize  his  jealousy  against  Tokiyori — but  because  of 
far  greater  things  concerning  the  whole  nation,  this  wish  of  his 
must  remain  ungranted.  Lord  Yo-Ake,  perfect  in  his  knowledge 
of  human  nature,  determined  to  make  his  appeal  to  the  young 
man's  vanity. 
"Naturally  this  request  comes  to  me  in  the  nature  of  a  complete 


78  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

surprise,  said  he  at  last,  in  answer  to  Saito's  plea.  "I  can  some- 
how scarce  conceive  that  my  little  ward  has  grown  to  a  marriage- 
able age.  How  time  slips  by  us,  unnoting!" 

He  rose  from  his  seat. 

"Will  you  not  accompany  me  through  my  poor  grounds?"  he 
asked.  "I  have  been  so  long  confined  to  this  room  today,  by  mat- 
ters of  business,  that  I  feel  the  need  of  fresher  air." 

As  they  descended  the  shrubbery  path  that  led  to  the  brook  and 
the  bower,  one  of  Saito's  two  swords  caught  in  the  branch  of  an 
encroaching  bush,  whereat  a  frightened  wild  dove  suddenly  arose 
and  flew  across  the  castle  walls  to  some  foliage  without. 

"Ah,"  observed  the  daimio,  who  noted  every  incident,  however 
trivial.  "It  seems  that  Nature  has  herself  answered  your  question. 
The  dove  is  the  love-bird,  we  have  many  such  at  Moto.  Yet  it 
wings  from  its  mate,  you  see,  at  the  sound  of  arms,  nor  will  it  re- 
turn I  fear  until  the  evening  has  set  in." 

He  stopped  short  on  the  pathway  and  regarded  his  young  guest 
with  a  kindly  expression. 

"My  lord,"  said  he,  "absurd  as  it  may  appear,  the  action  of  that 
bird  exactly  typifies  the  condition  of  us  nobles  of  Nippon  today. 
There  is  a  coming  call  to  arms  soon,  of  which  not  one  of  us  is 
unaware.  Whichever  cause  we  each  may  support,  there  is  scarce 
one  of  us,  I  think,  who  is  not  putting  aside  all  selfish  desires  and 
indulgences  to  bend  our  efforts  to  the  greater  situation.  With  the 
prospect  of  this  bloody  war- before  us,  the  chances  for  a  young 
samurai  of  your  fame  and  rank  are  incalculable.  Under  the  most 
favorable  conditions,  marriage  at  such  a  time  could  but  serve  to 
hamper  such  prospects  and  blight  such  a  career.  It  is  not  in  the 
hour  of  our  rising,  but  in  the  evening  of  our  fulfillment,  that  we 
should  think  of  building  about  us  a  nest,  and  rearing  others  to 
perpetuate  a  name  then  gained.  Believe  me,  I  speak  as  your  well 
wisher.  Your  family  and  mine  have  ever  been  upon  the  most  am- 
icable terms,  and  your  uncle,  Shimadzu,  was  my  closest  friend. 
An  arrangement  of  marriage  was  entered  into  between  him  and 
myself  for  my  son  and  his  daughter  on  the  night  just  preceding 
his  death." 

A  footstep  sounded  upon  the  bridge,  and  Saito,  glancing  up, 


79 

perceived  another  of  about  his  own  age,  walking  toward  them  in 
deep  thought.  As  the  newcomer  caught  sight  of  them  he  hastened 
his  steps. 

"Permit  me,  Lord  Saito,"  concluded  the  daimio,  "to  introduce 
to  you  my  son,  who  but  a  short  four-and-twenty  hours  since  re- 
turned to  his  home  from  his  travels  among  the  'Foreigners'." 

Saito,  realizing  that,  because  of  the  return  of  the  wanderer  the 
pact  of  marriage  must  be  fulfilled,  accepted  the  doom  of  his 
hopes.  It  was  the  unwritten  law  of  his  caste,  that  stood  higher 
than  mandate  of  Shogun  or  Mikado,  and  he  would  not  have 
dreamed  of  rebelling  against  it.  With  samurai  fortitude  he  con- 
cealed his  feelings  and  gave  a  formal  greeting  to  Tokiyori.  After 
a  few  moments  of  desultory  conversation  the  latter  remarked  to 
his  father  that  he  had  been  inspecting  the  arrangements  for  Naka- 
hara's  funeral  on  the  morrow.  This  gave  Lord  Saito  his  opportu- 
nity, and  after  expressing  his  surprise  and  regret  at  the  death  of 
the  old  hanashika,  he  prepared  to  take  his  departure. 

"Believe  me,"  said  he,  "I  would  not  have  dreamed  of  intruding 
upon  you  at  such  a  time,  for  I  well  know  the  regard  in  which 
your  former  servitor  was  held  by  your  family.  Farewell  then,  my 
lords.  Pray  make  my  excuses  to  my  cousin,  Kiku-ko.  I  journey 
to  Satsuma  immediately.  If  there  is  aught  in  which  I  may  be  of 
service,  command  me." 

He  sought  his  kago,  accompanied  by  Tokiyori,  and  Lord  Yo- 
Ake  stood  watching  the  two  young  men  as  they  disappeared  in  the 
direction  of  the  nagaya.  Suddenly  he  became  aware  of  a  low  sob- 
bing -from  the  room  almost  overhead  where  Kiku-ko  had  retired 
to  read  her  father's  letter.  He  guessed  that  she  must  have  heard 
his  refusal  of  Saito's  proffer,  and  witnessed  the  latter's  departure. 

"Ah,  life !  life !"  he  mused  sadly,  as  he  turned  back  to  enter  the 
yashiki.  "How  few  of  your  pleasant  dreams  ever  become  realities ! 
How  seldom  do  we  reach  the  goal  that  we  set  out  to  attain !  The 
pictures  so  vari-hued  that  you  draw  to  the  eyes  of  our  youth 
seem  but  grey  monochromes  when  viewed  with  the  color  blindness 
of  middle  age,  else  would  we  mortals  become  as  are  the  gods." 

That  night  the  dove  returned  to  its  nest  in  the  shrubbery  copse, 
but  the  tears  had  so  blinded  Kiku-ko's  eyes  that  she  saw  it  not. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE 


And  David's  lips  are  lockt ;  but  in  divine 
High-piping  Pehlevi,  with  "Wine!  Wine!  Wine! 

Red  Wine!" — the  Nightingale  cries  to  the  Rose 
That  sallow  cheek  of  hers  to'  incarnadine. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

OOME  eighteen  months  later — to  be  exact,  the  twenty-sixth  of 
January,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  old  Yedo 
was  in  the  last  evening  of  its  life,  although  none  dreamed 
how  tremendously  different  the  coming  era  would  be.  True,  for 
some  time  past  events  had  heralded  a  changed  city,  yet  still  the 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE  8l 

appurtenances  of  the  Shogunate  were  predominant  there,  and  the 
Baka-fu — although  the  Shogun,  Tokugawa  Keiki,  had  virtually  re- 
signed office — continued  to  hold  its  meetings  in  the  palace  over- 
looking the  bay.  Desultory  fighting  had  been  in  progress  for  some 
time  past,  resulting  in  the  burning  of  the  yashikis  of  the  Satsuma 
clan  in  Yedo,  and  one  or  more  night  attacks  had  been  perper- 
trated,  by  troops  unknown,  against  the  "Foreign"  embassies,  but 
no  decisive  blow  had  been  struck  by  either  side  in  the  civil  strife, 
and  for  the  present  the  Mikado  and  his  court  continued  resident 
in  Kyoto. 

Allying  himself  to  this  latter  cause,  as  he  had  a  year  since  in- 
formed Kiku-ko  were  his  intentions,  Saito  had  now  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Emperor's  forces,  but  as  to  his  present  whereabouts 
none  seemed  precisely  informed.  In  Yedo  itself,  at  this  time,  there 
were  but  few  of  the  generally  resident  nobility  left,  for  the  con- 
centration of  opposing  forces  in  their  different  encampments  had 
necessitated  that  the  supporters  of  each  side  should  join  the  main 
bodies  with  their  retainers-at-arms. 

In  the  knowledge  of  the  turmoil  natural  to  a  city  at  such  an 
epoch  it  was  with  many  misgivings  that  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake,  still 
resident  at  far  away  Moto,  directed  his  son  to  take  up  his  resi- 
dence with  his  bride  at  the  little  besso,  or  dower  house,  well  with- 
in stone's  throw  of  the  mighty  walls  of  Shima,  the  Shiba  fortress 
in  Yedo.  Yet,  without  doubt,  this  step  had  been  one  of  prime  im- 
portance, for  in  the  light  of  Yo-Ake's  plans  for  his  family's  future, 
it  was  imperative  that  he  should  be  kept  accurately  informed  on 
what  was  happening  at  the  nation's  capital  city.  Deeming  it  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  keep  his  son  in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  zone 
of  probable  warfare,  he  had  taken  the  precaution  of  protecting  his 
person  against  possible  molestation  by  providing  him  with  a  doc- 
ument of  safe  conduct  from  the  Mikado,  that  same  which  he  had 
dispatched  Kano  to  Kyoto  to  procure  in  anticipation. 

For  the  rest,  Prince  Goto  still  retained  his  place  on  the  Baka-fu, 
to  which  recently  had  been  added,  to  fill  the  vacancy  created  by 
the  retirement  of  Lord  Yo-Ake,  one  Lord  Saburo  Ikeda,  a  noble 
of  lesser  rank.  Thus  stood  affairs  in  midwinter  of  the  year  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 


02  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

About  Shiba,  the  woods  lay  so  deathly  still  under  the  soft  fluf- 
fing of  the  constantly-falling  flakes  that  the  snapping  of  twigs  and 
branches  by  the  weight  of  the  snow  seemed  like  a  series  of  rifle 
volleys.  As  the  winter  day  drew  to  its  close,  the  great  red  globe  of 
fire  sank  behind  the  powdery  foliage,  while  night  stole  over  the 
city.  Presently  a  muffled  step  broke  crisply  through  a  glade  lead- 
ing to  the  tombstones  of  past  and  gone  Tokugawa  Shoguns,  and 
the  figure  of  a  man  emerged  into  a  patch  of  blood-light  that 
dripped  upon  the  upturned  tops  of  the  cairns  through  winter 
rents  in  the  trees.  On  the  head  of  this  pedestrian  a  basket-shaped 
hat  descended  to  completely  hide  his  features,  while  a  thickly 
wadded  kimono  enveloped  his  body  to  his  geta,  the  wooden  clogs 
that  shod  his  feet.  At  a  casual  glance  he  appeared  but  some  errant 
minstrel,  yet  to  a  close  observer  something  in  his  poise  and  step 
might  have  told  that  two  swords  would  have  become  him  more 
naturally  than  the  flute  he  carried.  He  passed  down  a  pathway, 
lined  on  either  side  by  great  stone  lanterns — the  gifts  of  fudai 
daimios  to  their  former  masters — and  halted  beside  one  whose  in- 
scription announced  that  it  had  been  presented,  many  years  be- 
fore, to  the  memory  of  "The  Illustrious  Temple  of  Learning" — 
the  posthumous  title  of  a  dead  Shogun — by  Lord  Suki  Shimadzu 
of  Tsushima.  Here  he  rested  a  few  moments  in  thought. 

Far  distant,  through  the  naked  trees,  lay  Yedo,  with  its  now 
snow-topped  houses  and  palace.  Nearer  still,  was  Sengakuji, 
where  the  seven-and-forty  ronin  lay  close  to  their  shrine,  and 
through  an  avenue  of  nude  limbs  and  bare  trunks  could  be  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  frowning  walls  of  Shima,  and  the  little  besso 
nestling  under  their  protection.  And,  all  about  him  stood,  as 
silently  as  himself,  cairn  upon  cairn,  each  with  the  mitsu-aoi — the 
three-leafed  asarum — carven  upon  it  to  tell  the  passer-by  that 
here  beneath  his  crest  a  Tokugawa  kept  his  crestless  tryst. 

A  long  time  the  minstrel  stood,  wrapped  in  the  silence  of  the 
graves,  his  face  turned  citywards,  then  slowly  and  with  bent  mien 
he  made  his  way  through  the  Shiba  woodlands  towards  where  the 
besso  lay. 

Within  a  room  of  this  sat  Kiku-ko,  superintending  some  final 
arrangements  of  the  apartment,  for  a  dinner  was  to  be  tendered 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE  83 

there  that  evening  to  a  small  party  of  friends  by  her  husband  and 
herself.  In  the  interim  of  directing  the  servants,  she  glanced  from 
time  to  time  at  a  missive  which  she  held,  and  from  which  she  ap- 
peared to  gather  the  little  frown  of  annoyance  that  overshadowed 
her  pretty  countenance.  Finally  she  crumpled  this  and  dropped  it 
among  the  coals  of  an  hibatchi  glowing  close  by  her  side. 
"'Tis  too  bad !"  she  muttered  to  herself.  "This  interminable  worry 
about  these  'Foreign'  embassies  has  become  well  nigh  unbearable. 
If  Tokiyori  must  needs  spend  almost  his  entire  time  with  them, 
why  should  he  deem  it  necessary  to  invite  friends  to  a  dinner? 
This  is  the  second  occasion  within  the  month  that  we  have  had 
guests  coming  to  us  by  invitation,  and  the  master  of  the  house 
absent  during  the  evening.  I  will  no  longer  bear  it  in  silence,  em- 
bassies or  no  embassies,  'Foreigners'  or  no  'Foreigners.'  If  they 
so  fear  ronin  attacks  that  they  dare  not  abide  in  their  embassies 
without  the  presence  of  Tokiyori,  let  them  betake  themselves  back 
to  the  lands  from  which  they  came." 

She  paused  suddenly  to  listen,  for  from  without  the  soft  plaint- 
ive notes  of  a  flute  fell  upon  her  ears.  Then  after  a  moment  of  pre- 
lude a  low,  rich  voice  took  up  a  song  of  her  native  Island  of  Tsu- 
shima : 

Canst  thou  tell  is  it  day,  is  it  night  on  the  island, 
Thou  of  my  dreams  whom  my  soul  longest  for? 

Are  the  pine  trees  still  true  ?  Do  the  waves  lash  on  high,  and 
Breaking  jade  green,  do  the  breakers  still  roar? 

Is  the  sea-breath  that  same  when — the  gulls  o'er  us  sweeping, 
O  thou  of  my  dreams  whom  my  soul  longest  for, 

Thou  asked  for  my  heart,  and  I  gave  it  thy  keeping 

As  the  swirl  break  jade  green  on  the  Tsushima  shore? 

Does  the  moon  climb  the  waves  still,  the  lagoons  to  play  with, 
Thou  of  my  dreams  whom  my  soul  longest  for? 

Is  it  sooth  ?  is  it  phantasy  ?  or  is  it  fey-myth 

That  answers  me  only  the  breakers'  dull  roar  ? 


84  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Was  it  day  ? — nay,  I  know  not — or  night  on  the  island, 
O  thou  of  my  dreams  whom  my  soul  longest  for? 

For  only  the  moan  of  the  pines  on  the  highland 

Can  tell  where  thou  art,  and  the  breakers'  dull  roar. 

As  the  song  ceased  Kiku-ko  arose  and  crossed  to  the  shoji  look- 
ing down  on  the  little  courtyard.  The  besso  stood  against  a  slight 
rise  of  the  ground,  so  that  while  its  front  was  on  the  same  level  as 
the  walk  and  the  woodlands,  its  rear,  with  its  lower  story,  de- 
scended abruptly  to  the  courtyard.  Thus  as  she  came  through  the 
shoji  out  onto  the  small  veranda — impelled  by  curiosity  because 
of  the  song  relating  to  her  birthplace — she  looked  down  directly 
upon  a  wandering  troubadour,  the  one  who  had  lately  stood  by  the 
gift-lantern  of  her  father  in  the  Shiba  glade.  At  sight  of  her  the 
singer  bent  his  head  low. 

"Your  song  is  very  pleasing  to  me,  minstrel,"  said  Kiku-ko.  "Will 
you  not  step  within  and  rest  yourself?  There  is  a  small  entertain- 
ment here  this  evening,  and  it  may  be  that  you  would  care  to  play 
and  sing  to  our  guests." 

"I  humbly  thank  you,"  replied  the  voice  of  the  songster,  muffled 
by  the  great  basket  hat  that  hid  his  features,  "but  I  am  but  a 
flighting  bird  of  the  snows.  I  light  here  or  there  for  the  moment, 
throat  my  simple  notes,  and  then  must  wing  my  way  to  other 
copses." 

"A  sorry  payment  for  the  pleasure  you  give,"  said  she.  Ordinar- 
ily she  would  have  bidden  one  of  the  servants  attend  to  the  man's 
wants  and  make  him  some  small  present,  but  for  some  unaccount- 
able whim  she  lingered  in  the  cold  of  the  veranda. 

"When  the  bird's  chant  can  win  for  it  the  plaudits  of  a  beauteous 
lady,  what  greater  payment  could  be  desired  ?"  asked  the  minstrel. 

"Yet  the  listener  might  feel  a  desire  to  hear  more  of  so  rare  a 
songster,"  she  rejoined. 

The  singer  approached  a  step  nearer. 

"A  boon,  then,  most  noble  mistress — a  boon !"  said  he. 

"Granted,  if  possible,  O  minstrel,"  she  replied. 

"Nay,  it  is  but  a  small  favor,"  said  he.  "The  snow  bird,  aweary 
with  its  flightings  and  the  cold,  accepts  the  shelter  of  your  eaves." 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE  85 

Without  waiting  for  her  further  consent,  he  proceeded  to  climb 
upwards  by  the  balcony  supports.  As  his  head  came  level  with  the 
low  railing,  his  hat  was  pushed  from  his  features.  Kiku-ko 
stepped  back  a  pace,  and  caught  her  breath  sharply. 

"Saito!"  she  exclaimed. 

"Hush !"  he  replied  warningly,  clambering  on  to  the  veranda. 

"It  is  I,  Kiku-ko,"  said  he  in  a  low  voice,  coming  quickly  to  her 
side.  "Are  there  any  within  who  may  see  or  hear  us  ?" 

"Not  if  we  stand  here,"  she  answered  in  the  same  cautious  tones, 
taking  a  step  into  the  shelter  of  a  cupboard  that  formed  an  ac- 
commodation for  the  outer  storm-shutters  when  not  in  use.  "Here 
we  will  be  unobserved,  and  there  are  none  within  excepting  the 
servants,  who  are  all  engaged  in  preparing  for  the  entertainment 
this  evening.  Yet,  I  know  not  if  I  do  aright  in  thus  clandestinely 
speaking  with  you,"  she  added  uncertainly. 

Saito  waived  the  question.  He  was  spying  out  the  city  in  dis- 
guise, and  had  been  unable  to  resist  the  opportunity  once  again  to 
see  Kiku-ko  and  communicate  certain  things  to  her  ear. 

"I  noticed  as  I  passed  your  gateway,"  said  he,  "that  preparations 
were — as  you  say — in  evidence  for  the  coming  of  guests.  Whom 
do  you  expect  this  evening?  Believe  me  I  ask  the  question  from 
no  motive  of  impertinent  curiosity." 

"We  are  giving  a  small  dining  party  to  Prince  Goto  and  his 
friend,  Lord  Ikeda,"  she  explained.  "And  we  expect  also  some 
neighboring  ladies,  Nui-ko  san  and  Toyo-ko  san." 

"None  of  whom  have  as  yet  arrived?"  he  added. 

"Nay,  but  I  expect  them  at  any  moment  now." 

"Then,  excepting  these  guests,  there  will  be  no  one  else  here  this 
evening  ?" 

"Only  a  little  girl — Lord  Ikeda's  daughter,  Ren-ko,"  she  an- 
swered. "Tokiyori  is  absent  attending  to  something  at  the  'For- 
eign' embassies." 

"Then  there  is  no  one  to  be  taken  into  account  excepting  Goto," 
mused  Saito. "Tokiyori  will  be  away, and  as  for  Ikeda — pah!  Steel 
tempers  not  from  gold,  nor  courage  from  a  miser.  I  need  scarcely 
employ  others  to  assist  me,  yet  it  were  wisest — " 

She  drew  away  from  him,  frightened  at  his  wild  words,  that 
seemed  to  her  to  contain  a  hint  of  danger. 


86  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Why  do  you  wish  to  know  who  will  be  here  tonight,  Saito?" 
she  asked. 

He  took  her  little  hand  within  his  own  strong  one,  and  fondled 
it  reassuringly. 

"I  should  have  explained  to  you  before,"  said  he;  forgive  my 
abruptness.  Kiku-ko,  I  can  no  longer  exist  without  you,  and  to- 
night I  am  going  to  make  the  great  effort  to  win  you.  Nay,  listen, 
heart  of  mine,  and  say  nothing.  None  but  you  know  that  I  am  in 
Yedo  tonight.  Scarce  a  week  ago  the  troops  of  the  Baka-fu  burned 
our  yashikis  here,  and  we  have  determined  to  avenge  this.  Our 
Satsuma  samurai  are  now  hidden  in  different  parts  of  the  city, 
and  at  a  preconcerted  signal  will  attack  the  'Foreign'  embassies  to- 
night, because  they  are  the  especial  charge  of  the  Baka-fu.  Ikeda, 
who  has  been  appointed  to  their  care  by  the  Shogun,  has  with- 
drawn the  bulk  of  the  Yaconin  guards  with  which  they  were  till 
lately  furnished,  so  the  task  will  be  doubly  easy  to  us.  With  the 
downfall  of  these,  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  will  be  forced  to  flee  also, 
and  will  doubtless  seek  to  escape  with  them  from  Nippon  on  some 
'Foreign'  ship  because  of  the  hatred  and  mistrust  he  has  already 
aroused  among  our  people  by  his  pandering  to  the  barbarians.  In 
his  disgrace  will  also  be  included  that  of  his  father,  and  so  with 
the  downfall  of  the  Yo-Ake,  and  the  consequent  desertion  of  you 
by  your  husband,  you  will  be  relieved  from  further  obligations  to 
your  father's  given  word.  In  the  meantime  I  shall  be  near  you  to 
protect  you,  and  as  soon  as  these  rebels  against  the  Mikado  are 
driven  out  of  the  city,  will  take  you  to  our  own  kinsfolk  in  Satsu- 
ma." 

Not  for  one  moment,  despite  her  fidelity  to  her  ties,  had  Kiku- 
ko  forgotten  her  love  for  Saito,  and  it  seemed  to  her  as  though 
the  gods  had  at  last  decided  to  take  pity  upon  her,  and  grant  her 
that  one  only  happiness  she  desired  above  all  things.  Then  the 
memory  of  her  father's  letter  came  suddenly  to  her,  and  its  clos- 
ing paragraph.  She  pressed  her  hands  over  her  heart  and,  straight- 
ening herself,  caught  Saito's  arm  as  he  stood  awaiting  her  answer. 

"You  say  my  obligations  will  be  fulfilled,  Saito?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,  heart  of  mine ;  entirely,"  he  answered. 
She  drew  back  from  him  and  shook  her  head  sadly. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  CRIES  TO  THE  ROSE  8? 

"Not  yet,"  she  whispered,  "not  yet." 

"Not  yet !"  he  repeated  in  bewilderment ;  and  then  as  her  mean- 
ing dawned  on  him,  stood  staring  at  her  in  sorrow. 

"I  am  to  become  the  mother  of  an  Yo-Ake,"  she  sobbed,  hiding 
her  head  in  her  kimono  sleeve. 

Steps  sounded  at  the  front  of  the  besso,  and  the  voice  of  a  ser- 
vant announced, 

"The  Lady  Nui-ko,  and  the  Lady  Toyo-ko." 


XI 


THE   NIGHT   BEFORE  DAWN 


With  Earth's  first  Clay  They  did  the  Last  Man  knead, 
And  there  of  the  Last  Harvest  sow'd  the  Seed: 

And  the  first  Morning  of  Creation  wrote 
What  the  Last  Dawn  of  Reckoning  shall  read. —OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

\ViTHOUT  further  words,  Saito  descended  noiselessly  from  the 
balcony,  while  Kiku-ko,  composing  herself,  entered  through  the 
shoji  into  the  reception  room,  bowing  to  her  just-arrived  guests. 
"It  is  most  considerate  of  you  to  grace  our  poor  entertainment 
this  evening,"  said  she. 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  89 

"We  are  honored  beyond  measure,"  replied  the  two  ladies,  in 
unison. 

They  were  twins,  about  thirty-and-five  years  of  age,  unprepos- 
sessing and  unmarried,  never  seen  apart,  rarely  speaking  other 
than  in  a  sort  of  mental  symphony,  and,  if  report  did  not  exag- 
gerate, inveterate  gossips.  Once,  in  a  moment  of  unguarded 
mirth,  Goto  had  referred  to  them  as  "the  double  fusima,"  ex- 
plaining that  one  painted  side  slid  out  to  let  you  in,  and  the  other 
painted  side  slid  in  to  let  you  out.  This  was  considered  as  very 
witty  on  Goto's  part  by  his  friends,  because  the  jovial  prince  had 
once,  it  was  known,  been  marked  by  the  two  prim  maidens  as 
legitimate  prey,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  his  bachelorhood  in- 
tact. 

"We  trust  your  honorable  husband  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  richly 
deserved  good  health,"  continued  the  two  ladies. 

"He  is,  I  thank  you,"  answered  Kiku-ko,  still  nervous  from  her 
recent  meeting  with  Saito,  "but  unavoidably  detained  at  the  'For- 
eign' embassies." 

"Oh,  the  embassies!"  chorused  the  twins.  "Indeed  it  is  a  pity 
that  they  are  permitted  to  exist  so  unrestrictedly  in  our  city." 

"But  why?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  apprehensive  of  Tokiyori's  safety 
at  the  mention  of  the  embassies. 

"Because,  my  dear,  they  do  say,"  began  the  Lady  Nui-ko,  "that 
is,  of  course — " 

She  hesitated,  and  her  sister  continued  for  her. 

"It  is  reported  so  authentically  that  one  is  feign  to  believe  it." 

"To  believe  what  ?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  bewildered. 

Both  ladies  looked  at  one  another,  kittenishly,  until  Nui-ko  san 
finally  took  upon  herself  to  complete  what  she  had  begun. 

"Well,  of  course,  my  dear,  one  would  scarcely  care  to  mention 
such  things  saving  in  the  presence  of  a  lady  of  your  known  good- 
ness, but  they  do  say  that  the  'Foreign'  embassies  are  fast  ruining 
the  womanhood  of  Yedo." 

"We  at  Shiba  can  not  be  too  thankful  that  we  are  so  far  re- 
moved from  their  dangerous  influences,"  supplemented  the  Lady 
Toyo-ko. 

Kiku-ko,  regarding  the  two  prim  maiden  ladies  before  her,  felt 


go  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

almost  inclined  to  smile,  until  the  allusion  to  the  embassies  again 
recalled  to  her  mind  Saito's  intended  night  attack  upon  them,  and 
the  consequent  danger  to  Tokiyori. 

"Lord  Ikeda,  who  is  in  charge  of  them,  is  to  be  one  of  our 
guests  this  evening,"  said  she.  "He  will  accompany  Prince  Goto, 
with  whom  he  is  on  terms  of  very  close  companionship,  I  be- 
lieve." 

"Scarcely  that,"  dissented  Nui-ko  san,  grasping  with  avidity  at 
the  opportunity  of  a  little  gossip,  "as  the  prince  has  been  absent 
from  Yedo  much  recently  upon  his  northern  estates,  owing  to  the 
death  of  his  only  sister,  and  her  legacy  to  him  of  her  orphan  son, 
Taro." 

"Which  has,  of  course,  kept  the  prince  in  the  north  pretty  con- 
stantly of  late  superintending  the  education  of  his  young  neph- 
ew," added  Toyo-ko. 

"Only  partly  the  cause,  sister,"  supplemented  Nui-ko.  "It  is  said 
that  the  prince  was  confined  there  to  his  futon  by  reason  of  an 
illness  brought  on  by  overeating — " 

She  was  interrupted  by  a  beating  of  staves  and  hoarse  cries  of 
"Make  way !  make  way  for  the  most  exalted  prince,  His  Illustri- 
ous Highness  Matsuo  Goto,  Lord  of  the  North !"  "Make  way  for 
the  norimono  of  my  noble  Lord  Saburo  Ikeda  of  the  Baka-fu! 
Make  way !  make  way !"  Then  came  a  scuffling  of  feet  at  the  gate- 
way of  the  besso,  and  a  huge  voice  bellowed — 
"'At  the  gate  of  a  widow  gossips  will  gather.'  Ahai!  thou  ruffian 
staveman,  set  not  my  norimono  down  so  hastily !  I  tell  you,  Ike- 
da,  I  put  not  overmuch  faith  in  these  repeated  rumors  of  ronin 
attacks  upon  the  'Foreigners.'  Since  the  assassination  of  some  sea 
samurai  of  the  Russian  nation  it  has  become  the  fashion  to  cry 
Tire !  fire !'  upon  the  slightest  pretext." 

The  voices  grew  plainer,  and  presently  a  servant  entered  the 
room. 

"His  Illustrious  Highness  Prince  Matsuo  Goto,  Hoku-no-kami," 
he  announced,  "the  noble  Lord  Saburo  Ikeda  and  his  daughter, 
the  Lady  Ren-ko." 

Prince  Goto  advanced  into  the  room  first,  perforce,  for  his 
bulk,  which  often  had  been  compared  jestingly  by  the  populace  to 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  QI 

that  of  a  famous  wrestler,  claimed  the  lion's  share  of  the  opening. 
Behind  him  came  Lord  Ikeda,  a  smallish  man,  whose  shifty, 
crafty  eyes,  set  in  a  rather  weak  countenance,  noted  each  occu- 
pant of  the  room  before  he  was  far  enough  within  to  bow  to  his 
hostess,  and  following  him,  his  daughter,  a  demure  little  girl  of 
not  more  than  ten  years  of  age,  who  kept  her  eyes  dropped  shyly 
to  the  floor.  The  arrivals  bowed  to  their  hostess  and  then  to  the 
other  two  guests,  kneeling  upon  their  cushions,  already  placed, 
so  that  Goto  was  upon  Kiku-ko's  right,  facing  the  little  company, 
and  Ikeda  upon  her  left,  while  little  Ren-ko  knelt  quietly  upon  a 
mat  between  the  two  maiden  sisters. 

'"Stronger  than  a  yoke  of  oxen  is  the  drawing  power  in  a  single 
strand  of  a  woman's  hair'/'  grunted  Goto,  in  a  voice  which  re- 
produced the  surf-beat  upon  his  own  northern  shores,  and  made 
an  adjacent  andon  flicker.  "If  we  are  culpably  late  in  arriving  'tis 
not  for  want  of  cursing  our  stavemen;  Ikeda  aided  me  nobly. 
But  I  fail  to  perceive  your  husband,  Lord  Tokiyori.  I  trust  no 
mischance  has  befallen  him?" 

"My  husband  is  detained  at  the  'Foreign'  embassies,"  replied 
Kiku-ko.  "I  confess  myself  somewhat  anxious  concerning  his  ab- 
sence." 

She  turned  to  Lord  Ikeda,  who,  as  the  chargee  of  the  "For- 
eign" residents  in  Yedo,  would  know  best  regarding  their  welfare. 

"I  presume  there  is  no  question  concerning  the  security  of  the 
embassies  from  chance  attacks?"  she  asked  of  him. 

"Pray  have  no  uneasiness  upon  that  score,  Lady  Kiku-ko,"  he 
answered.  "So  safe  do  I  feel  the  embassies  now  to  be  that  I  have 
this  day  ordered  a  further  reduction  of  their  yaconin  guards." 

Kiku-ko  was  almost  thrown  into  a  state  bordering  on  hysteria 
at  the  reception  of  this  last  piece  of  information.  In  the  knowl- 
edge of  what  she  knew  from  Saito,  she  could  only  wonder  how 
one  so  obviously  deceived  concerning  the  true  state  of  affairs  as 
Ikeda  could  retain  his  position  on  the  council  as  one  of  the  na- 
tion's trusted  advisers.  The  voice  of  Goto  recalled  her  to  her  sur- 
roundings. 

"'You  can  not  weave  a  garment  with  one  thread,  nor  make  a  for- 
est with  one  tree',"  he  observed  bowingly,  indicating  the  two  sis- 


Q2  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

ters.  "I  compliment  you,  Lady  Kiku-ko,  upon  having  two  such 
charming  neighbors." 

Lord  Ikeda  again  claimed  his  hostess'  attention. 

"The  prince  and  I  were  discussing  the  'Foreign'  embassies  on 
our  way  hither,"  said  he.  "They  have  much  to  be  thankful  for  in 
your  husband's  care  of  them." 

"And  in  yours  also,  my  lord,"  asserted  Kiku-ko  with  hidden  sar- 
casm. 

"'A  fruitful  tree  tells  of  a  good  husbandman',"  quoted  Goto. 
"Yet,  considering  the  number  of  lawless  dai-sho  now  infesting  the 
city,  the  'Foreigner'  sleeps  not  on  a  futon  of  roses." 

Servants  entered,  some  with  the  ante-prandial  tea  and  tobako- 
bon,  others  with  steaming  dishes  for  the  small  tables. 

"In  fact,"  said  Ikeda,  a  gleam  of  amusement  in  his  eyes,  "the 
present  position  of  the  'Foreigner'  in  Yedo  may  be  likened  to  that 
of  our  eels  in  Nippon.  They  repose  for  awhile  among  the  sea 
weed  in  apparent  safety.  Then  Prince  Goto  is  heralded  adown  the 
road,  and  the  poor  eels  are  hastened  toward  their  next  re-incarna- 
tion." 

"It  is  not  I  who  am  always  the  ronin,"  grunted  Goto  between 
whiffs  of  his  pipe.  "Saito  of  Satsuma  once  played  that  role  upon 
some  eels  of  my  ordering.  'A  gentleman  should  not  stop  to  retie 
his  sandals  beside  another's  melon  field'." 

"Does  any  one  know  where  Saito  is  at  the  present?"  asked  Ike- 
da,  and  Kiku-ko  felt  herself  flushing  guiltily  as  she  kept  silence 
with  the  others. 

"Teaching  the  Mikado's  kuge  how  to  pickle  eels  in  kelp,"  re- 
marked Goto  with  ponderous  sarcasm.  "Saito  is  like  to  find  him- 
self also  hastened  toward  his  next  re-incarnation." 

"No  politics  tonight,  I  beg  of  you,"  laughed  Ikeda.  "We  hear 
overmuch  of  them  nowadays  in  the  council  chamber.  How  beau- 
tiful it  is  among  the  solemnity  of  your  Shiba  foliage,"  he  con- 
tinued, addressing  himself  to  his  hostess.  "As  we  came  through 
the  park,  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  drape  of  dark  hanging  vel- 
vet, through  which  the  moon,  breaking  over  the  snow-powdered 
branches,  wove  stitches  of  beautiful  silver  design." 

"The  moon  threads  often  weave  a  fairy-land,"  sighed  Nui-ko, 
with  a  languishing  look  in  Goto's  direction. 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  93 

"A  fairy-land  sewn  with  myriad  beautiful  elfins,"  added  Toyo- 
ko,  also  looking  longingly  at  Goto. 

"Elfins  of  the  brain,"  mumbled  Goto,  a  trifle  nervously. 

"Elfins  are  of  the  skies,"  lisped  little  Ren-ko  prettily,  whereat 
all  smiled. 

Goto,  whose  conception  of  a  dinner  was  a  place  where  people 
foregathered  primarily  to  eat,  had  been  glancing  about  him  in 
fidgety  fashion  at  the  steaming  platters  with  which  the  servants 
were  decorating  the  little  tables.  He  now  bowed  to  Kiku-ko  in 
joyous  anticipation. 

"'Tongue  wagging  may  produce  clothing',"  he  observed,  jocu- 
larly, "  'but  it  needs  ploughing  to  produce  food.'  I  perceive  the  de- 
licious repast  is  ripe  to  our  chopsticks." 

At  a  glance  from  Kiku-ko  the  tables  were  arranged  separately 
before  each  guest,  and  with  the  beginning  of  the  feasting,  geisha 
and  top-spinners  made  their  appearance.  Goto  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  swallow  his  food  and  drink  his  sake  without  the  neces- 
sary interruption  of  conversation. 

"Your  honorable  father-in-law  is,  I  understand,  permanently 
resident  at  Biwa-ko,"  observed  Ikeda  to  Kiku-ko  during  the  lull 
occasioned  by  the  retirement  of  the  entertainers. 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  "although  he  travels  often  of  late  to  Hio- 
go,  being  much  interested  in  'Foreign'  shipping." 
"'You  can  not  study  swimming  on  the  tatami',"  muttered  Goto 
between  mouthfuls.  "Yo-Ake  had  better  have  taken  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Yedo  for  that  purpose." 

"There  is  certainly  a  great  increase  of  'Foreign'  shipping  here  of 
late,"  agreed  Ikeda.  "I  was  amazed  recently  at  noting  the  number 
of  alien  warehouses  in  course  of  erection  along  our  harbor  shores. 
The  'Outlander'  is  undoubtedly  bringing  much  wealth  to  our 
city." 

"'Even  a  mountain  monkey,  with  adornment,  will  be  nice',"  ad- 
mitted Goto,  glancing  about  him  for  the  sight  of  a  servant. 

Again  the  geisha  reentered  the  apartment,  bringing  with  them 
some  little  dancing  girls  who  performed  the  "Flight  of  the  Spar- 
rows," with  arms  outspread  in  quaint,  graceful  mimicry  of  the 
birds,  aided  by  huge  flapping  hats.  During  their  dance,  Ikeda  de- 


94  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

voted  himself  steadily  to  the  sake  cup,  with  the  result  that,  when 
Kiku-ko  chanced  to  glance  in  his  direction,  she  observed  from  his 
flushed  countenance  that  the  liquor  was  affecting  him. 

"All  this  talk  of  'Foreigners'  must  be  very  awesome  to  such  a 
little  girl  as  Lord  Ikeda's  daughter,"  she  observed,  hoping  to  divert 
possible  attention  from  him.  "It  must  seem  to  her  like  stories  of 
some  hungry  wolf  about  to  devour  her  home.  Does  it  not  frighten 
you,  Ren-ko  san  ?" 

"Nay,"  lisped  little  Ren-ko,  "because  if  the  wolf  tried  to  hurt  me 
I  should  feed  him  until  he  were  so  full  of  nice  things  that  he  fell 
asleep,  and  then  I  should  steal  out  with  a  great  sword  and  kill 
him." 

Her  father  appeared  too  sunk  in  reverie  to  notice  this  remark 
of  his  daughter,  but  Goto  regarded  the  little  maiden  quizically. 
"'The  smallest  pools  are  often  the  deepest',"  he  observed  to  the 
company  generally.  "I  like  your  answer,  little  Miss  Ren-ko,  it 
contains  much  food  for  thought.  Servant,  another  cup  of  sake." 

"The  'Foreigner'  is  not  the  worst  wolf  Nippon  has  to  deal  with," 
hiccoughed  Ikeda,  scowling  slightly.  "We  have  greater  traitors 
within  our  gates." 
"  'Dwellings  have  rats ;  nations  thieves',"  agreed  Goto,  sagely. 

"Which  time  will  undoubtedly  adjust,"  continued  Ikeda,  with 
that  wise  look  often  assumed  by  an  intoxicated  person  who  has 
said  something  that  has  not  the  slightest  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 

"The  road  of  time  has  no  gatekeeper',"  objected  Goto  at  ran- 
dom. He,  too,  had  not  the  slightest  idea  to  what  Ikeda's  observa- 
tion referred,  but,  having  himself  drunk  deeply  of  the  mellow 
wine,  considered  that  a  proverb  would  be  most  appropriate  to  the 
remark. 

Lord  Ikeda  frowned.  He  found  these  repeated  interruptions  by 
Goto  annoying.  Kiku-ko,  noting  the  condition  of  the  two  men, 
with  the  quick  intuition  of  a  hostess,  and  fearing  a  possible 
"scene"  if  this  banter  were  carried  too  far,  hastened  to  change 
the  subject. 

"I  am  sure  the  'Foreigners'  should  feel  deeply  grateful  to  Lord 
Ikeda  for  his  care  of  them,"  said  she. 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  95 

"'Beware  of  committing  the  care  of  fish  to  the  cat',"  reminded 
Goto,  with  his  usual  aptitude  at  quotation. 

Ikeda  fastened  his  glassy  eyes  with  an  unsteady  expression  up 
on  Goto's  wine-reddened  countenance.  The  liquor  lent  him  a  de- 
gree of  courage. 

"Your  highness  does  me  an — an  unpardonable  injustice,"  he 
stuttered,  hiccoughing  again.  "If  there  were  any  danger  to  the 
'Barbarians'  I  trust  you  will  all  do  me  the  justice  to  acknowledge 
that  I  would  be  the  first  to  court  it,  and  the  last  to  leave  its  vicin- 
ity." 

Unfortunately,  every  one  present  believed  that  just  exactly  the 
opposite  would  be  the  case,  and  smiles  were  with  difficulty  re- 
pressed by  the  ladies.  Indeed,  so  near  did  Nui-ko  come  to  permit- 
ting her  risibilities  to  escape  her,  she  had  to  clap  her  hands  to 
hide  her  confusion,  crying,  "How  brave !  how  brave !" 
"The  dog  may  bay  at  the  moon,  but  will  not  leap  toward  it'," 
guffawed  Goto,  who  did  not  seek  to  conceal  his  mirth. 

Ikeda  gripped  his  table  with  both  hands  to  steady  himself  as  he 
strove  to  arise,  and  Kiku-ko  interposed  pacifically. 

"We  should  strive,  the  poets  tell  us,  to  view  things  through 
others'  eyes.  And  so  long  as  Lord  Ikeda  sees  that  the  'Foreigners' 
are  secure  in  his  care,  the  rest  of  us  may  accept  his  view." 

She  glanced  appealingly  at  Goto.  Goto  proved  a  bad  ally. 
"Ho!  ho!"  he  chuckled.  "'The  bat  hanging  upside  down  laughs 
at  the  topsy-turvy  world !'" 

Ikeda  was  on  his  feet  like  a  flash. 

"Your  highness  infers  by  that,"  he  began — when  the  sudden  din 
of  a  furore  without  drowned  his  further  words. 

"Slay!  slay!  slay!"  roared  a  multitude  of  voices,  magnified  an 
hundred  fold  by  the  intense  stillness  of  the  woodlands. 

Goto  bounded  to  his  feet,  and  without  ceremony  rushed  to 
where  his  swords  had  been  left  at  the  entrance  to  the  room. 
"By  Uji-no-Mitama !"  he  shouted.  "It  must  be  the  ronin !" 

The  dread  word  struck  Ikeda  sober,  and  a  chill  of  terror  at  the 
hearts  of  the  rest  of  the  company.  Again  came  the  roar  from 
without,  paralyzing  the  little  gathering  with  fear  at  its  ferocity. 

"Tokiyori  Yo-Ake!  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake!  Slay  the  traitor  who 
would  sell  Nippon  to  the  'Barbarian' !" 


96  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Ikeda  seized  his  daughter  by  the  hand  and  ran  toward  the  rear 
exit  of  the  besso,  followed  by  the  cowering  Nui-ko  and  Toyo-ko. 
Only  Kiku-ko  remained,  kneeling  at  her  little  table,  too  frightened 
to  move.  The  clinking  of  steel  and  oaths  of  men  crashed  louder 
still,  and  a  sharp  report  rang  out,  followed  by  a  yell  and  a  groan. 
The  sounds  of  the  pursuit  were  closing  about  the  besso  deafen- 
ingly.  Dimly  she  heard  Goto  cursing  as  he  strove  to  pry  his  huge 
bulk  over  the  low  balcony  rails. 

With  a  crash  the  front  entrance  to  the  house  gave  way,  falling 
inwards,  and  suddenly  the  bodies  of  men  in  armor  were  tumbled 
into  the  room  indiscriminately.  As  these  disengaged  themselves 
from  the  human  maelstrom,  she  perceived  the  form  of  her  hus- 
band lying  motionless  upon  the  mats.  She  arose,  terrified,  all  un- 
knowing what  was  to  follow,  when  Saito  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  broken-in  opening,  the  samurai  falling  quickly  into  some  sort 
of  military  precision  under  the  steely  glance  of  his  eye.  He  came 
swiftly  to  Kiku-ko's  side. 

"I  regret  this  scene,"  said  he  hurriedly,  "but  you  had  best  retire 
to  your  own  rooms  till  I  send  for  you." 
He  turned  to  a  samurai  near  him. 

"Search  the  body  of  that  traitor,"  he  commanded,  pointing  to- 
ward the  motionless  Tokiyori,  "for  evidence  of  his  infidelity  to 
the  Mikado." 

The  samurai  bent  at  the  word,  and  plunging  his  hand  within 
the  kimono  of  the  fallen  man,  withdrew  it  presently,  holding  a 
piece  of  paper.  Saito  took  this,  and  perceiving  that  it  bore  the 
imperial  seal,  read  aloud : 

To  all  our  subjects, 

Heiki. 

You  are  hereby  enjoined  to  aid  and  protect  the  bearer  of  this, 
Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  Moto  and  Shima,  as  is  the  will  of  the  Mi- 
kado. 

A  servant  was  bearing  Kiku-ko  to  her  apartments  in  the  besso 
when  suddenly  the  throes  of  a  physical  agony  shook  her  frame. 
Then  she  knew. 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  DAWN  97 

"O,  goodness  of  the  gods!"  she  sobbed.  "O,  goodness  of  the 
gods !  Saito !  Saito !" 

That  night  the  beginning  of  the  great  three-days'  battle  burst 
over  Yedo,  ending  in  the  triumph  of  the  Mikado  and  the  dawn  of 
the  era  Meiji.  But  Kiku-ko  noted  not,  for  a  little  babe  lay  nestled 
at  her  breast. 


PART  II 

DAWN 

Quoth  the  samurai^  I  follow 

LEGEND  OF  ONE,  NAKAHARA, 

HANASHIKA    TO 

LORD  YO-AKE 


ON   WITH  THE  DRAMA 


/4  moment  guess 'd — then  back  behind  the  Fold 
Immerst  of  Darkness  round  the  Drama  roll'd 

Which,  for  the  Pastime  of  Eternity, 
He  doth  Himself  contrive,  enact,  behold.—  OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IT  WAS  spring  in  the  seventh  year  of  Meiji  (1875),  and  the  early 
cherry  petals  of  Shigatsu  (the  fourth  month)  were  dropping  from 
the  mukojima  trees  upon  the  waters  of  the  dark  Sumida.  Al- 
though still  early  forenoon,  the  Cherry  Avenue  swarmed  with  ur- 
banites,  who  loitered  about  its  tea-booths  and  yose,  for  not  yet 
had  the  iris  budded  at  Horikiri. 


IO2  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Suddenly  a  jinricksha,  drawn  by  tandem  runners  and  pushed 
from  behind  by  two  others,  came  rolling  down  the  avenue  at 
seemingly  terrific  pace,  shaving  the  wheels  of  other  vehicles  mir- 
aculously as  it  passed  in  and  out  among  them.  In  it  was  a  stout 
gentleman,  perhaps  fifty  years  of  age,  clad  in  black  frock-coat, 
in  the  buttonhole  of  which  was  an  enormous  nosegay  of  the  sea- 
son's offerings.  A  high  silk-hat  sat  rakishly  on  one  side  of  his 
head,  while  a  waistcoat  of  wondrous  prismatic  hues  girded  his 
ample  form,  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  its  wearer  was  a 
bon-vivant — a  fact  still  further  emphasized  by  the  heavy  jowls 
sunk  deep  in  a  high  European  "choker"  of  the  period,  and  the 
merry  lines  about  the  twinkling  eyes.  Striped  lavender  trousers, 
spats,  kid  gloves,  and  a  malacca  walking-stick  with  a  carven  ivory 
dog's-head  handle,  as  mighty  as  a  bludgeon,  completed  his  equip- 
ment. As  his  'ricksha  shot  in  and  out  among  the  traffic,  he  sud- 
denly exclaimed  in  a  mighty  voice:  "'It  is  not  possible  to  surpass 
the  feet  of  a  bridegroom' !  Ho,  thou  ruffian  runners !  Is  this  a 
seemly  manner  to  convey  a  personage  of  my  dignity  to  call  upon 
a  brother  nobleman  ?" 

The  'ricksha  stopped,  and  one  of  the  runners,  drawing  the 
sleeve  of  his  jacket  across  his  brow,  bowed  defferentially. 

"Your  honor  instructed  us,"  said  he,  "to  convey  your  honor 
to  Shima  Castle  with  all  speed.  It  is  a  long  distance  to  Shiba." 
"Baron,"  corrected  the  stout  gentleman,  sternly;  "Baron  Go- 
to, forget  not  that,  fellow.  As  for  what  you  say  regarding 
haste,  perhaps  you  are  right — 'the  speeding  season  may  not  turn 
aside  for  the  growing  grain.'  Yet,  proceed  more  warily,  I  pray 
you.  I  would  not  that  the  Marquis  Yo-Ake  should  be  inconveni- 
enced by  the  reception  of  my  mangled  body." 

Again  the  runners  started  on,  but  in  more  leisurely  fashion, 
and  soon  the  'ricksha  and  its  occupant  were  lost  to  view. 

The  startling  change  manifest  in  the  once  Lord  of  the  North — 
now  General  Baron  Goto — was  typical  of  that  which  had  come 
over  Nippon  in  the  past  seven  years.  The  results  of  that  battle,  be- 
ginning on  the  night  of  the  twenty-seventh  of  January,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  sixty-eight — during  which  Tokiyori  Yo- 
Ake  had  received  his  almost  fatal  wound  from  the  victorious  im- 


ON   WITH  THE  DRAMA  IO3 

perial  troops  commanded  by  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma — had  estab- 
lished the  restoration  of  the  Mikado  as  actual  governing  head  of 
his  country,  thus  stamping  a  new  era  upon  Japanese  history.  By 
one  alone  was  it  viewed  with  anything  approaching  equanimity — 
Lord  (now  Marquis)  Asano  Yo-Ake,  whose  brain  had  planned, 
and  hand  shaped,  this  entire  innovation. 

This  very  morning  on  which  Goto  was  hastening  to  Shima,  To- 
kiyori  and  his  father  the  marquis  were  strolling  about  the  castle 
grounds  immersed  in  conversation  relating  to  a  recent  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  imperial  cabinet  toward  the  important  question 
of  student  emigration. 

"You  are  not  then  in  favor,  I  understand,  of  our  student  emi- 
grants being  given  the  means  to  support  themselves  whilst  study- 
ing in  'Foreign'  lands,"  observed  Tokiyori.  "Personally  I  question 
the  popularity  of  such  a  restriction.  For  instance,  there  are  to  my 
knowledge  many  sons  of  peers  preparing  to  travel  abroad  for 
purposes  of  study,  yet  I  doubt  if  any  of  them  would  care  to  as- 
sume menial  capacities  in  order  to  promulgate  their  knowledge." 

"Possibly  not — at  first,"  agreed  the  marquis,  tranquilly.  "And 
yet,  if  it  were  shown  them  that  it  was  for  Dai  Nippon,  and  the 
wish  of  the  Mikado,  I  think  our  emigrants  would  discover  an  im- 
mediate desire  to  carry  out  the  contexts  of  such  passports,  in  the 
spirit  as  well  as  the  letter.  We  are  in  many  respects  a  peculiar  na- 
tion, my  son,  and  our  strongest  asset  is  the  intense  spirit  of  loyal- 
ty implanted  in  each  and  every  one  of  our  people." 

They  walked  on  for  a  few  moments  in  silence,  and  finally  the 
marquis  observed : 

"In  reply  to  your  objection,  my  son,  it  seems  to  me  that  in  the 
very  fact  of  furnishing  passports  to  our  students  to  study  abroad 
you  furnish  them  also  with  the  means  of  self  support.  In  any 
country  a  man  who  can  not  support  himself  under  normal  condi- 
tions is  a  ronin — a  vagrant — a  nuisance  to  his  community,  and 
with  the  lack  of  his  capability  toward  his  self  support  goes,  like- 
wise, his  self  respect.  The  issue  is  clearly  criminal.  But,  I  fail  to 
perceive  why  his  own  country  should  furnish  the  funds  to  his 
maintenance,  to  the  benefit  of  an  alien  country.  Particularly  in 
our  case  we  need  the  monies  of  other  countries  coming  to  Japan, 


IO4  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

not  Japanese  money  going  to  swell  the  revenues  of  other,  and 
possibly  inimical,  countries. 

"Still,"  objected  Tokiyori,  "there  is  no  doubt  that  the  assump- 
tion of  menial  positions  among  the  'Foreigners'  by  our  young  stu- 
dents of  rank  and  position  will  be  a  bitter  pill  for  them  to  swal- 
low." 

"My  dear  son,"  commented  the  marquis,  serenely,  "since  when 
has  it  been  regarded  a  demeaning  act  for  a  samurai  to  penetrate 
the  ranks  of  the  enemy  in  disguise — even  when  the  carrying  out 
of  such  disguise  entails  acts  of  a  menial  character  upon  its  wear- 
er?" 

"I  grant  your  argument,"  answered  his  son,  finally.  "Neverthe- 
less I  predict  that  we  shall  hear  the  same  clamorings  raised  as 
when  Baron  Goto — at  your  suggestion — drew  upon  commoner  as 
well  as  noble  to  officer  his  army." 

"I  think  results  have  justified  Goto's  decision,"  replied  the  mar- 
quis. "In  any  case  the  army  was  demoralized  by  the  Bushido 
training  it  received  at  the  hands  of  Saito,  before  his  retirement 
created  the  vacancy  for  Goto.  Heredity  is,  no  doubt,  a  very  ad- 
mirable thing,  yet  cold  facts  have  an  unpleasant  habit  of  writing 
strange  entries  regarding  efficiency  between  the  lines  of  peerages. 
Ideally  it  would  be  most  pleasing  that  our  army  should  be  offi- 
cered by  our  great — our  nobles — each  holding  command  accord- 
ing to  his  rank.  Did  the  entailment  of  the  rank  entail  also  the  wis- 
dom and  prowess  of  the  founder  of  the  rank  I  would  be  one  of 
the  first  to  decry  any  other  order.  In  our  imperfect  mortal  society 
it  seems  that  we  must  of  necessity  bow  to  the  pranks  of  fate,  and 
when  the  gods  see  fit  to  place  the  intellect  of  a  lord  in  the  material 
head  of  a  commoner,  it  would  be  folly  of  us  humans  to  question 
the  wisdom  of  the  gods." 

In  their  walk  they  had  approached  near  a  small  but  deep  pond 
that  lay  in  the  gardens  girt  about  with  high  bushes.  Through  a 
vista  of  these  Tokiyori  perceived  his  little  seven-year-old  daugh- 
ter, Aysia,  calling  and  gesticulating  to  her  nurse  across  the  pond. 
The  cause  was  at  once  apparent,  for  in  the  center  of  the  little 
lake  her  toy  sail  boat — a  "Foreign"  importation — had  been  blown 
by  the  light  breeze  upon  a  tiny  gravel-topped  island,  grounding 


ON   WITH   THE  DRAMA  IO5 

firmly.  From  the  opposite  bank  the  nurse  was  vainly  endeavoring 
to  reach  the  craft  with  a  long  bamboo  pole — a  hopeless  task,  as 
the  island  was  more  than  three  times  the  length  of  the  pole  from 
the  bank.  Perceiving  the  fruitlessness  of  her  nurse's  efforts,  the 
little  maid  glanced  about  for  other  aid,  and  espying  a  boy,  kite 
flying  in  the  barrack  enclosure,  called  to  him. 

The  lad  came  running  quickly  to  the  scene,  his  kite  under  his 
arm.  In  appearance  he  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  quite 
sturdily  built,  and  with  a  countenance  that  betokened  an  excep- 
tionally keen  alertness.  Upon  being  shown  the  cause  of  the 
trouble,  he  promptly  removed  his  sandals  and,  tucking  up  his 
kimono  about  his  knees,  prepared  to  wade  out  to  the  little  island. 
Aysia  had  watched  these  preparations  for  the  releasing  of  her 
boat  with  evident  interest,  and  now,  realizing  what  the  lad  con- 
templated, sought  to  dissuade  him. 

"You  can't  walk  out  there,"  said  she;  "you'll  be  drowned.  One 
of  the  men  servants  fell  in  there  the  other  day,  and  it  was  so 
deep  that  he  had  to  be  pulled  out." 

The  boy  stood  irresolutely  a  moment.  Had  he  been  a  lad  of  the 
Occident  he  would  probably  have  solved  the  problem  by  gathering 
up  what  rocks  he  could  and  flinging  these  at  the  boat  until  she 
was  released  from  the  island — regardless  of  damage.  Being  a  Jap- 
anese, this  lad  set  himself  to  attain  his  end  without  impairing  the 
serviceability  of  the  craft,  and  for  that  purpose  sought  to  discover 
the  cause  of  the  trouble.  This,  to  his  mind,  evidently  was  the 
wind  which  was  holding  the  boat  directly  against  the  island.  He 
perceived  that  if  the  wind  were  blowing  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion it  would  float  the  boat  loose.  He  could  not  reach  the  boat  to 
change  its  position,  nor  could  he  alter  the  island,  but  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  him  that  he  might  change  the  direction  of  the  wind. 

He  returned  to  where  he  had  left  his  kite — a  large  square  one 
— beside  Aysia,  and,  breaking  its  long  string  into  four  equal 
pieces,  tied  one  to  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  kite.  Then, 
handing  two  of  the  strings  to  Aysia,  he  took  the  remaining  two 
into  his  own  hands  and,  bidding  her  follow  his  instructions,  ran 
around  to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  pond.  Tokiyori  and  his  father 
watched  with  both  interest  and  pleasure  the  little  scene  enacting. 


106  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Under  the  lad's  directions,  the  kite  was  manipulated  in  such 
manner  that  finally  it  rested  upright  upon  the  island,  so  that  the 
wind  beat  upon  it  and  drove  back  against  the  little  boat  in  tiny 
sharp  gusts.  The  boy  dared  not  move  the  kite  against  the  boat  for 
fear  of  breaking  some  of  the  toy's  delicate  rigging,  but  soon  the 
deflected  wind  began  to  take  effect.  Its  mainsail  was  swung  to  lee- 
ward, until,  jerking  from  side  to  side,  the  jib  caught  the  full 
slant  of  the  wind,  driving  the  boat  out  into  the  water,  whence,  of 
course,  it  was  soon  blown  to  the  shore.  His  task  completed,  the 
boy  quietly  gathered  up  his  kite  and  prepared  to  depart. 

At  this  instant  Lord  Yo-Ake,  followed  by  his  son,  emerged 
from  the  bushes  that  had  hid  them  from  sight  of  the  actors  in  this 
scene,  the  former  beckoning  the  boy  to  him. 

"Come  here,  my  lad,"  said  he ;  and  as  the  boy  approached,  "What 
is  your  name?"  he  asked. 

"Midzu-hara,  may  it  please  your  honorable  lordship,"  answered 
the  boy,  perceiving  at  once  who  it  was  that  addressed  him. 

"Do  you  belong  to  my  household  ?" 

"My  stepfather,  your  honorable  lordship,  is  Mata,  your  lord- 
ship's captain  of  samurai,"  replied  Midzu-hara. 

"How  came  you,  then,  into  my  private  grounds  when  your 
bounds  should  be  the  nagaya  ?"  asked  the  marquis. 

"I  was  flying  my  kite  there  when  the  young  lady  called  me  to 
help  her,"  explained  the  boy,  "and  when  I  saw  that  it  was  a  'For- 
eign' boat  that  she  wanted  me  to  get,  I  became  so  interested  in 
saving  it  that  I  forgot  all  else." 

He  looked  up  into  the  marquis'  face  as  he  spoke,  with  clear, 
honest  eyes  that  impressed  Lord  Yo-Ake  favorably.  Just  then 
Aysia,  who  had  been  an  interested  listener,  ran  up  to  Midzu-hara 
impulsively,  and  placed  her  boat  in  his  hands. 

"If  you  like  the  boats  of  the  'Foreigner',"  said  she,  "you  may 
have  mine." 

"You  are  more  than  kind,  mistress,"  replied  the  lad,  "but  it 
would  be  a  sorry  thing  that  I  should  be  the  means  of  depriving 
you  of  the  plaything  I  have  recovered  for  you." 

The  manner  of  the  refusal  pleased  Lord  Yo-Ake  still  further. 
It  argued  that  the  lad  had  right  instincts,  and  knew  how  to  dis- 
play them  tactfully. 


ON   WITH  THE  DRAMA  IOJ 

"Take  it,  my  lad,"  said  he ;  "my  granddaughter  shall  not  be  the 
loser  by  her  generosity.  You  may  come  to  this  pond  to  sail  it  as 
often  as  you  wish. 

Young  Midzu-hara  accepted  the  boat  with  a  wildly-beating 
heart,  and,  saluting  the  two  gentlemen  and  Aysia,  departed  to- 
ward the  magaya,  his  precious  prize  hugged  closely  in  his  arms. 

Tokiyori  turned  to  his  father,  smiling. 
"You  seem  interested  in  the  lad,  father,"  he  observed. 
"Unless  I  am  very  mistaken  in  my  estimate,"  answered  his  fath- 
er quietly,  "we  shall  all  have  cause  to  be  interested  in  him  some 
day.  It  may  be,"  he  added,  half  to  himself,  "that  his  stepfather 
would  permit  that  he  study  nautical  affairs  abroad.  If  so,  I  will 
afford  him  the  opportunity." 

Count  Tokiyori  patted  his  daughter's  head. 

"You  are  a  considerate  little  girl,  Aysia,"  said  he.  "You  shall 
have  a  beautiful  new  boat  to  replace  the  one  you  have  given 
away,  and,  if  you  wish  to,  father  will  take  you  and  mother  to  the 
booths  at  Mukojima  this  afternoon." 

Aysia  clapped  her  hands  delightedly  at  this  news,  and  Tokiyori 
turned  to  his  father. 

"I  will  take  your  suggestion  up  with  the  diet  at  once,  father," 
said  he.  "But,  as  I  have  said,  I  doubt  the  popularity  of  its  recep- 
tion by  that  body,  and  certainly  by  the  intending  student  emi- 
grants." 

He  bade  his  father  good  morning,  and  the  marquis,  re-entering 
his  yashiki,  was  just  in  time  to  greet  Goto,  who  had  that  moment 
arrived. 

The  latter,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  his  host,  crossed  the  room 
to  him,  consternation  depicted  on  his  usually  jovial  countenance. 
"'After  the  moon  fulls  it  lessens!'"  he  vociferated,  excitedly. 
"The  'Foreign'  ship  which,  on  your  advice,  I  purchased,  has  blown 
its  honorable  insides  out,  and  I  have  lost  all  my  remaining  ko- 
kus !" 


II 


THE  PLAYER  AND   THE   BALL 


The  Ball  no  question  makes  of  Ayes  and  Noes, 
But  Here  or  There  as  strikes  the  Player  goes; 

And  He  that  toss'd  you  down  into  the  Field, 
He  knows  about  it  all  —  HE  knows  —  HE  knows!— 


KHAYYAM. 


1  HE  marquis  motioned  his  guest  to  a  seat,  taking  another  near 
him,  and  nodded  gravely. 

"That  is  a  regrettable  disaster,"  he  said  consolingly.  "Still,  there 
are  more  fish  in  the  sea  than  ever  came  out  of  it.  Patience,  baron, 
fortune  must  smile." 


THE  PLAYER  AND  THE  BALL 

Goto  shook  his  head,  dolefully. 

"'Awaiting  fortune  is  like  awaiting  death'/'  he  replied.  "I  had  in- 
structed the  ruffian  who  attends  to  the  wheels  and  things  which 
my  ship  has  blown  into  the  sea  not  to  sail  her  over  the  kelp,  be- 
cause of  the  eels  therein.  'Music  to  a  cow,  while  it  hears  the 
sound,  conveys  no  meaning  to  its  ears.'  The  villain  disobeyed  me." 

Recently  the  marquis  had  persuaded  Goto,  among  others  of  his 
acquaintance,  to  invest  in  a  ship,  believing  that  if  Japan  was  to 
become  a  sea  power  she  must  acquire  the  tools  necessary  to  the 
learning  of  her  trade. 

"Possibly  it  was  not  wholly  the  engineer's  fault,"  observed  the 
marquis  drily.  He  was  quite  aware  that  certain  American  and 
European  firms  were  unloading  obsolete  hulks  upon  the  "Nation 
of  Little  Children,"  although  he  still  encouraged  his  friends  to 
buy  these  as  a  quick  means  of  acquiring  knowledge  concerning 
them. 

"Perhaps  you  are  right  there,"  rejoined  Goto.  "The  'Foreigner' 
who  sold  my  ship  to  me  is  undoubtedly  a  conscienceless  scoun- 
drel. At  the  time  of  my  making  the  purchase  he  told  me  that  she 
was  so  strong  that  if,  by  mischance,  she  should  strike  against  a 
rock,  she  would  split  it  in  twain.  While  in  reality  she  was  so  rot- 
ten that  she  fell  to  pieces  in  the  soft  kelp.  I  am  minded  to  bid  a 
servant  of  mine  disembowel  himself  upon  the  threshold  of  the 
knave's  house." 

The  marquis  repressed  a  smile.  It  seemed  to  him  almost  piti- 
fully ludicrous  to  listen  to  this  most  modern  attired  gentleman 
turning  so  readily  to  the  methods  that  prevailed  when  kimonos 
and  the  two  swords  were  the  fashion.  Then  he  sighed  a  little  as 
he  realized  what  a  long  and  weary  march  his  people  still  were 
from  the  City  of  Desire — that  Dai  Nippon  for  which  we  toiled 
and  spun. 

"Nay,  nay,  baron,"  he  reasoned,  almost  as  one  might  seek  to  dis- 
suade a  child,  "that  would  have  answered  well  enough  in  the  old 
days.  There  is  now  a  better  method  of  revenge  than  that." 

"I  would  that  you  would  show  it  me  then,"  responded  Goto, 
gloomily. 

"Buy  another  ship,"  suggested  the  marquis,  quietly. 


IIO  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Buy  another  ship !"  exclaimed  Goto,  his  eyes  starting  nearly 
out  of  his  head. 

"The  more  ships,"  explained  the  marquis,  serenely,  "the  more 
knowledge  of  what  ships  can  do." 

Goto  expressed  himself  as  doubtful  as  to  whether  he  desired  to 
learn  anything  further  concerning  the  pranks  of  such  diabolical 
contrivances,  but  the  marquis  continued : 

"By  knowledge  of  them  you  may  equal  the  'Foreigner'  at  his 
own  game." 

"But  if  we  keep  on  buying  ships  so  old  that  they  burst  their  in- 
sides,  these  'Foreigners'  will  think  us  fools — babes — imbeciles !" 
objected  Goto,  excitedly. 

"It  is  to  be  sincerely  hoped  so,"  answered  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "for 
in  order  to  sell  us  more  they  will  then  be  inclined  to  teach  us  more 
about  them,  while  we  shall  have  the  better  opportunity  to  study 
and  learn,  unsuspected.  Be  guided,  baron,  and  buy  another  ship." 
"'With  too  many  ships  the  land  would  be  all  water',"  quoted  Go- 
to, doubtfully.  "What  do  we  want  with  all  these  ships,  Yo-Ake? 
I  think  the  country  has  gone  mad,  for  everywhere  is  but  talk  of 
ships,  ships,  ships,  when  even  now  are  half  our  people  ruined  with 
those  they  have  already  purchased.  My  curses  on  the  man  who 
first  invented  ships." 

Still,  so  long  as  they  are  a  necessity  to  great  nations,"  coun- 
seled the  marquis,  "it  behooves  us  to  learn  all  that  is  possible  con- 
cerning their  uses.  Should,  for  instance,  a  war  ever  occur  be- 
tween us  and  any  other  country,  it  will  be  fought  on  ships  as  well 
as  on  land.  Thus,  even  if  we  half  ruin  ourselves  now  in  the  pur- 
chasing of  these  disused  hulks,  we  still  must  have  them  to  learn 
with.  A  fencing  stick  for  the  novice — a  blade  of  the  finest  steel 
for  the  master  swordsman.  The  babe  must  learn  to  crawl  before 
it  toddles,  and  toddle  before  it  walks  firmly — nor  do  the  parents 
notice  how  rapidly  it  is  passing  from  one  stage  to  the  other." 

Goto  pondered  over  this  a  moment,  and  ended  as  usual  by  ac- 
cepting the  advice  of  his  friend,  of  the  soundness  of  which  a 
long-time  habit  of  acting  upon  had  convinced  him. 

"As  to  what  you  say  regarding  the  advisability  of  national  own- 
ership of  boats  by  us,  Yo-Ake,"  he  admitted,  "perhaps  you  are 


THE  PLAYER  AND  THE  BALL  III 

right.  Yet,  in  the  matter  of  my  own  further  investing  in  such,  I 
fear  it  will  be  an  impossibility  for  some  time  to  come." 

He  drew  from  the  breast  pocket  of  his  coat  a  wallet,  from 
which  he  solemnly  extracted  an  envelope,  handing  its  contents  to 
the  marquis. 

'"A  cold  hearth  is  no  detraction  to  beggars',"  concluded  Goto 
with  a  whimsical  dolefulness.  "No  sooner  did  I  receive  news  of 
my  ship  blowing  up  than  I  got  this." 

The  marquis  took  the  extended  letter  and  read: 

"To  the  Hen.  Baron  Goto,    "San  F™n™c°>  California,  U.  S.  A. 
"Tokio,  Japan. 

"My  dear  Uncle :  I  am  writing  to  advise  you  that  it  has  become 
necessary  for  me  to  draw  upon  you  through  the  Hong  Kong  & 
Shanghai  Bank  for  yen  five  thousand. 

"I  venture  to  hope  that  the  fact  of  my  not  requesting  any  remit- 
tances from  you  during  the  four  years  of  my  residence  here, 
coupled  with  the  following  reasons,  will  induce  you  to  take  up 
this  draft  upon  its  presentation. 

"If  you  will  recall  to  your  honorable  memory,  at  the  time  of  my 
leaving  Nippon  I  was  furnished  with  a  first-cabin  passage  to 
America,  and  yen  one  thousand  toward  the  defraying  of  further 
expenses.  These  latter  being  much  more  excessive  here  than  in 
Japan,  I  was  soon  forced  to  accept  work  of  a  menial  sort  in  order 
to  maintain  myself,  whereby  I  was  enabled  to  gain  a  knowledge  of 
the  people,  language  and  customs,  both  of  the  social  and  business 
life  of  the  country,  sooner  than  might  otherwise  have  been  the 
case.  I  mention  this  in  order  to  convince  you  that  my  estimate  of 
what  follows  is  based  on  accurate  knowledge  and  sound  judgment 
so  acquired.  Having  attained  a  use  of  the  language  of  the  country, 
I  cast  about  for  some  medium  through  which  to  embark  in  busi- 
ness for  myself,  an  opportunity  to  do  which  has  just  presented  it- 
self. 

"Briefly,  certain  of  the  great  railways  here  are  materially  in- 
creasing their  activities  and  scope,  necessitating  a  corresponding 
increase  in  the  numbers  of  laborers  employed  by  them.  In  the  fact 
that  these  need  not  be  skilled  mechanics  I  perceived  my  chance  to 


112  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

exploit  our  own  laboring  class  profitably.  Acting  upon  this  deter- 
mination, I  have  already  contracted  with  certain  of  these  rail- 
ways' managerial  sources  to  supply  them  Japanese  labor  at  yen 
two  per  day,  per  head.  As  this  scale  of  wage  will  be  so  greatly  in 
excess  of  what  our  laborers  can  achieve  at  home,  there  should  be 
not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  inducing  a  great  number  to  accept 
this  offer  through  me. 

"In  the  light  of  this,  it  will  be  necessary  that  I  return  to  my 
country  shortly,  and  I  shall,  I  have  no  doubt,  be  enabled  easily  to 
repay  you  the  amount  of  this  draft  before  the  year  is  out.  Trust- 
ing this  will  find  you  enjoying  the  best  of  health  and  prosperity, 
dear  uncle,  I  am, 

"Your  dutiful  nephew, 

"TARO  GOTO/' 

"'The  hungry  ox  will  seek  its  own  stall  first',"  observed  Goto  as 
Lord  Yo-Ake,  having  concluded  the  perusal  of  this  epistle,  re- 
turned it  to  him.  "The  amount  of  this  draft  is  inconvenient,  and 
the  moment  of  its  presentation  still  more  unpropitious.  Still,  I 
auger  that  the  boy  will  do  well  in  this  venture." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  assented  quietly,  his  mind  reverting  to  what  he 
knew  of  Goto's  nephew,  in  the  hopes  of  finding  some  vulnerable 
spot  by  which  this  enterprise  might  be  presented  at  its  inception, 
for  he  saw  that  the  success  of  Taro's  scheme  might  upset  all  his 
future  plans  for  the  welfare  of  the  country !  Taro  did  not  suggest 
to  his  mind  the  memory  of  one  who  would  be  likely  to  conceive  a 
venture  of  such  magnitude  and  undoubted  success,  unless  some 
very  startling  change  had  come  over  him  within  the  past  four 
years  of  absence.  In  this  Lord  Yo-Ake  was  influenced  by  what  he 
had  formerly  known  of  Taro,  through  his  own  efforts  to  assist 
the  lad  for  the  baron's  sake.  At  that  time  Goto  had  had  recourse 
to  Lord  Yo-Ake  in  order  to  get  Taro  into  some  one  of  the  gov- 
ernment departments,  and  through  the  influence  of  the  marquis 
had  eventually  succeeded  in  installing  his  nephew  in  a  desk  posi- 
tion, carrying  with  it  the  highly  important  and  onerous  task  of 
recording  names,  dates  and  addresses  of  senders  of  all  public  doc- 
uments received  by  his  department. 


THE  PLAYER  AND  THE  BALL  113 

Taro  prepared  to  discharge  his  new  duties  by  passing  long  pe- 
riods of  the  department's  time  in  a  contemplation  of  its  ceiling, 
with  the  result  that  at  the  end  of  his  first  term  of  service  it  re- 
quired the  careful  and  laborious  drawing  of  a  horoscope  about  his 
notations  by  his  fellow  clerks  to  discover  which  was  which.  An 
intricate  knowledge  of  mural  decorations  not  being  conceived  by 
those  practical  and  prosaic  souls  who  conducted  his  department 
as  necessary  to  the  fulfillment  of  his  duties,  Taro  had  been  re- 
lieved from  further  service  to  it,  and  the  baron — on  the  advice  of 
Marquis  Yo-Ake — had  finally  sent  him  to  America. 

Recalling  this,  Lord  Yo-Ake  reluctantly  admitted  to  himself 
that  Taro  had  now  stumbled — so  he  designated  Taro's  business 
acumen — upon  a  scheme  for  exploiting  his  countrymen,  which, 
while  it  might  be  profitable  to  himself,  Lord  Yo-Ake  feared  would 
result  in  untold  danger  to  Nippon.  To  his  way  of  viewing  the  mat- 
ter, while  it  was  desirable  that  the  student  and  merchant  should  be 
encouraged  to  emigrate  for  the  purposes  of  study  and  acquisi- 
tion, it  was  imperative  that  the  producer — the  backbone  of  the 
nation,  as  he  considered  him — should  be  kept  at  home. 

"It  seems  a  promising  venture  for  your  nephew,  if  one  may  be 
permitted  to  pass  a  hasty  judgment  upon  cursory  information," 
observed  the  marquis  to  the  baron,  finally,  in  reference  to  Taro's 
letter.  "Of  course,  there  is  always  the  danger  to  be  reckoned  with 
— as  in  the  case  of  your  ship,  Goto — that  the  'Foreigners,'  who 
have  not  always  been  absolutely  honorable  in  their  dealings  with 
us,  may  not  now  fulfill  their  promises  to  your  nephew." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  was  feeling  about  for  some  means  to  forestall 
Taro  from  receiving  the  remittance  necessary  to  the  founding  of 
this  venture. 

Goto  leaned  toward  the  marquis,  impressively. 

"That  boy  of  mine  is  undoubtedly  very  clever,  Yo-Ake,"  he  ob- 
served in  low  tones.  "He  can  secure  all  the  laborers  he  desires  for 
yen  10  a  month." 

"He  could  scarcely  be  otherwise,  considering  the  fact  that  he  is 
his  uncle's  nephew,"  responded  the  marquis  with  flattering  unc- 
tion. "Yet  there  are  so  many  disadvantages  offered  oriental  enter- 
prise in  the  Occident,  I  understand,  that  it  seems  to  me  it  would 


114  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

be  wiser  your  nephew  should  come  home  to  discuss  this  subject 
with  you  before  making  payment  upon  this  draft  he  has  drawn 
upon  you." 

"That,"  explained  Goto,  rising  to  take  his  leave,  "was  attended 
to  yesterday  morning.  I  could  not  leave  the  lad  in  doubt  as  to  my 
intentions  to  aid  him  when  necessary,  Yo-Ake,  nor  inconvenience 
him  by  delay." 

Goto  left  shortly  after,  declining  his  host's  invitation  to  stay 
and  partake  of  a  light  luncheon  on  the  grounds  of  urgent  public 
business,  and  after  his  departure  Lord  Yo-Ake  fell  into  a  musing 
strain. 

"The  loss  of  our  labor  just  now  would  paralyze  our  productive 
energies,"  he  argued  to  himself,  "yet  the  same  ends  may  be  at- 
tained as  regards  Taro's  enterprise  by  issuing  passports  to  our 
student  class  in  which  they  shall  be  designated  laborers.  Judging 
from  this  young  man's  own  experience,  the  opportunity  in  that 
way  afforded  them  to  learn  will  be  greater,  and  they  will  become 
self-supporting  from  the  outset,  while  we  shall  be  enabled  to  keep 
our  laborers  where  they  are  most  needed,  and  will  be  indispens- 
able in  the  years  to  come — at  home." 


THE   LION   IN   THE   COURTS   OF  THE   LIZARD 

They  say  the  Lion  and  the  Lizard  keep 
The  Courts  where  Jamshyd  gloried  and  drank  deep: 
And  Bahrdm,  that  great  Hunter — the  Wild  Ass 
Stamps  o'er  his  Head,  but  cannot  break  his  Sleep.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


\J,  RAVISHMENTS  of  maiden  spring,  when  every  bright-garbed 
bush  within  your  courts  stretches  forth  pliant  arms  of  welcome ; 
when  every  flower  is  but  a  parting  lip ;  when  fluttering  clouds  of 
unsoiled  petal-snow  are  showered  from  the  cherry  trees  of  Muko- 
jima,  to  cling  in  drifts  along  the  banks,  or  hide  in  fallen  masses 


Il6  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  waters  of  the  dark  Sumida,  whose  gentle  eddies  abstain  from 
touching  with  wet  tongues  their  loveliness !  What  wonder  that  all, 
from  far  and  near,  come  to  view  its  beauty ! 

Like  a  gathering  of  newly-plumed  birds  the  Tokyoites  fluttered 
from  tea-booth  to  toy-stall,  twittering  their  joy  of  the  spring  and 
cherry  trees,  as  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma  strolled  along  the  avenue 
the  early  afternoon  of  the  same  day  when  Goto  had  paid  his  call 
to  his  old  friend,  the  Marquis  Yo-Ake.  Yet,  unlike  the  majority  of 
the  pleasure  seekers,  Lord  Saito  glanced  with  but  indifferent  eye 
upon  the  surrounding  sights,  until  he  chanced  to  see  an  acquaint- 
ance of  other  days  soliciting  the  patronage  of  passers-by  to  one 
of  the  several  places  of  amusement.  Then  he  frowned,  for  al- 
though it  no  longer  astonished  him  to  come  suddenly  upon  old- 
time  friends  of  the  fudai  daimio  performing  menial  offices,  it 
galled  him,  and  he  never  lost  opportunity  to  address  such  osten- 
tatiously, as  though  to  impress  upon  the  chance  observer  that 
neither  restoration  nor  "Foreign"  ways  could  in  his  estimation  al- 
ter the  status  of  a  born  gentleman.  Needless  to  state,  he  attributed 
the  present  disagreeable  conditions — as  he  considered  them — en- 
tirely to  "Foreign"  influence  in  Nippon,  and  the  protection  ex- 
tended that  body  by  the  Yo-Ake.  In  accordance  with  his  usual 
practice,  he  now  made  his  way  across  the  avenue  with  the  inten- 
tion of  exchanging  a  few  words  with  the  theatre  attendant  in 
whom  he  had  recognized  a  former  equal. 

"I  give  you  good  day,  Ikeda,"  said  he.  "It  is  some  years  since  we 
have  met." 

Ikeda — once  Lord  Saburo  Ikeda,  of  the  Shogun's  Baka-fu,  the 
accredited  chargee  of  the  safety  of  "Foreign"  embassies  in  Yedo 
— returned  the  greeting  with  reserve.  His  position  of  nakauri  or 
yose  refreshment  vender  was  not  such  that  he  cared  to  advertise 
its  present  tenant  as  formerly  a  daimio,  nor  had  he,  despite  the 
several  years  of  service  at  this  occupation,  become  so  accustomed 
to  his  changed  fortunes  that  he  could  greet  old  acquaintances 
without  inward  feelings  of  humiliation. 

"It  is  not  likely  that  we  should  see  one  another  often,"  he  replied 
to  Saito's  greeting,  "for  our  lives  and  conditions  have  become 
widely  separated  since  this  topsy-turveydom  of  all  things,  known, 
I  understand,  as  Meiji." 


THE  LION  IN  THE  COURTS  OF  THE  LIZARD  117 

"You  have  at  least  the  one  consolation  of  having  many  others  to 
share  equal  misfortunes  with  you,"  remarked  Saito,  "while,  in  my 
case,  I  stand  practically  alone  in  my  life  and  views.  I  recall  that  it 
was  but  the  other  day  I  chanced  to  meet  a  one-time  acquaintance 
drawing  a  'ricksha  for  some  'Foreign'  parvenu." 

"A  small  consolation,"  rejoined  Ikeda,  whilst  bowing  to  an  en- 
tering patron.  "But  in  what  do  you  stand  alone?" 

"Apparently  in  my  distrust  of  the  'Barbarian',"  returned  Saito. 
"To  judge  by  the  actions  of  our  countrymen  of  today,  one  would 
believe  the  'Foreigner'  an  absolute  god.  Our  people  imitate  his 
every  thought  and  action,  and  live  but  according  to  his  diction — 
even  you  rub  shoulders  with  him  daily,  while  Goto  has  fairly 
smothered  his  own  nationality  beneath  'Foreign'  clothes,  and 
now  struts  forth  as  vain  and  pompous  as  a  brainless  peacock. 
But  as  for  me,  rather  than  welcome  the  despoiler  of  my  country, 
the  traducer  of  her  honor,  and  the  desecrator  of  her  gods,  I  have 
severed  all  connection  with  the  present  government,  retiring  per- 
manently to  my  native  Satsuma.  There,  joined  by  a  few  of  our  old 
kind,  Ikeda,  who  still  hold  their  honor  before  their  pockets,  I  have 
founded  a  school  for  the  training  of  samurai,  for  which  I  have 
but  now  journeyed  to  Tokyo  to  purchase  armor  and  swords." 

"Both  swords  and  armor  are  cheap  enough  today,"  commented 
Ikeda.  "Indeed  it  was  but  this  very  morn  that  an  old  friend — 
once  a  daimio  of  the  east  provinces — offered  me  his  Muramasa 
blade  for  two  bu.  I  learned  that  he  sold  it  shortly  after  to  a  relic- 
hunting  'Foreigner'  for  thrice  that  amount." 

"Steel  forged  by  Nippon's  greatest  master  sold  to  some  coarse 
tradesman  for  the  price  of  a  harlot's  love !"  exclaimed  Saito  bit- 
terly. "No  wonder  that  where  once  the  wearers  of  those  mighty 
blades  trod  proudly,  commerce  now  stalks  in  loud-mouthed  inso- 
solence !" 

He  felt  by  his  side  as  though  there  to  find  the  familiar  hilts  of 
his  own  swords,  forgetting  for  the  moment  that  these  had  been 
discarded  because  of  the  governmental  order  against  their  use. 

"My  blades,  as  well,"  said  he,  "were  forged  by  Muramasa,  in 
blood  and  fire,  and  my  fathers  wore  them  before  me  for  Satsuma 
and  for  Nippon.  They  were  never  drawn  but  in  knightly  honor, 


Il8  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

and  may  my  right  hand  rot  and  wither  on  its  arm  if  any  'For- 
eigner' feels  aught  of  them  excepting  the  keenness  of  their  edge." 

"That  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  say,"  rejoined  Ikeda,  "for  you 
still  have  your  fat  rent  rolls,  and  are  not  forced  to  soil  your  hands 
with  menial  tasks  as  am  I  and  others." 

"Yet  would  I  rather  become  a  tiller  of  the  fields  the  balance  of 
my  years,"  retorted  Saito,  "than  lower  my  honor  and  desecrate 
the  memory  of  my  fathers,  as  has  your  friend  his.  If  you  so  dis- 
like your  occupation  here  why  do  you  continue  it  ?" 

Ikeda  stared  at  him  a  moment  in  uncertainty,  as  though  half 
hoping  Saito  might  intend  to  make  him  some  other  offer,  and 
then,  perceiving  that  such  was  not  the  case  and  that  Saito  spoke 
merely  from  an  ignorance  of  the  vicissitudes  of  utter  poverty, 
burst  out  with, 

"Fiends  of  hell,  Saito !  Do  you  suppose  I  thus  demean  myself  for 
sport?  I  tell  you  not  in  all  the  history  of  my  house  has  such  a 
wrong  gone  unavenged!  Here  stand  I,  Saburo  Ikeda,  a  noble  of 
Nippon  and  counselor  to  the  Shogun,  penniless,  a  menial.  I  tell 
you,  Saito,  life  holds  not  a  sister  misery  to  that  encompassed  by 
the  scroll  of  an  emptied  title.  By  the  Jurojin!  I'd  rather  have 
been  born  my  yose  landlord  here  in  Mukojima,  than  Saburo  Ikeda 
gilt  in  his  armorial  bearings  without  the  wherewithal  to  pittance 
him  a  meal !" 

He  broke  off  abruptly,  and  clutching  Saito  wildly  by  the  sleeve 
of  his  kimono,  pointed  to  a  small  party  of  passers-by  across  the 
avenue  from  where  he  and  Saito  stood. 

"Look !  look !"  he  whispered  in  excited  accents.  "There  goes  he 
who  has  brought  all  this  woe  upon  us !" 

Saito,  glancing  in  the  direction  indicated  by  Ikeda,  perceived 
Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  walking  with  his  unmistakable  slight  limp — the 
result  of  the  wound  he  had  received  on  the  night  of  the  attack  up- 
on the  "Foreign"  embassies  seven  years  before — beside  another 
gentleman  whom  he  recognized  as  Lord  (now  Viscount)  Sakurai 
of  Niijima.  Behind  them,  holding  a  little  girl  by  the  hand,  stepped 
with  pretty  demureness  one  the  sight  of  whom  started  his  heart 
beating  wildly — Kiku-ko,  born  Shimadzu.  An  instant  he  followed 
the  outlines  of  her  figure  beneath  the  sunshade  she  held,  then  as 


THE  LION  IN  THE  COURTS  OF  THE  LIZARD 

the  party  came  abreast  of  the  yose,  quickly  shrank  within,  drawing 
Ikeda  after  him. 

"You  do  not  love  this  Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,"  he  remarked, 
eyeing  Ikeda  keenly. 

"Love  him !"  burst  out  Ikeda,  intensely.  "Aye,  I  love  him  so  well 
that  I  pray  mine  gods  each  night  of  my  life  to  consume  him  and 
his  brood — lecherous  spawn  of  vipers !  Count !  Count  Tokiyori 
Yo-Ake — and  his  father  the  most  noble  marquis.  By  my  faith, 
Saito,  kami  and  sama  were  noble  enough  in  our  times !  Yet,  now 
it  seems  that  one  must  be  labeled  as  count,  marquis,  baron  or  vis- 
count before  one  is  reckoned  as  of  honorable  blood.  On  my  honor, 
Saito,  I  swear  to  you  that  so  little  reverence  have  I  for  the  wear- 
ers of  these  new  titles,  and  that  'Foreign'  fox,  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake, 
who  creates  them,  that  I  pray  daily  that  whatever  of  success 
should  follow  his  life  may  be  accredited  to  others,  but  that  his 
failures  may  be  so  many,  and  so  indelibly  stamped  on  his  own 
record,  that  when  his  time  is  come  he  shall  descend  unto  his  grave 
unhonored  and  unwept." 

In  his  hatred  of  the  man  he  so  stigmatized,  he  stepped  forth 
from  his  shelter,  shaking  his  clenched  fist  at  the  retreating  figures. 
Saito  also  emerged,  and  prepared  to  continue  his  stroll  along  the 
Cherry  Avenue. 

"Who  knows  ?"  said  he,  thoughtfully.  "The  pestle  crushes  slow- 
ly, but  it  grinds  the  bean  to  finest  powder.  Sayonara,  Ikeda." 


IV 

A  SORRY  TRADE 


What!  from  his  helpless  Creature  be  repaid 
Pure  Gold  for  what  he  lent  him  dross-allay' d — 

Sue  for  a  Debt  we  never  did  contract, 
And  cannot  answer — Oh  the  sorry  trade! — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

AFTER  Saito's  departure,  Ikeda  still  stood  without  the  yose  en- 
trance, immersed  in  retrospective  thought.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
naturally  intriguing  turn  of  mind,  and  the  words  spoken  by  his 
companion  of  the  moment  since  had  set  his  brain  actively  dredg- 
ing in  channels  whose  depths  had  for  the  past  few  years  become 


A  SORRY  TRADE  121 

obscured  in  the  mire  of  his  degradation.  Plainly,  he  perceived,  or 
thought  he  perceived,  a  means  to  attaining  the  restoration  of  his 
forfeited  rank  and  estates  by  the  overthrow  of  the  present  govern- 
mental system.  His  own  present  unpalatable  position  he  regarded 
as  the  depths  of  injustice,  having  at  the  time  of  the  Mikado's  as- 
sumption of  actual  sovereignty  in  the  first  year  of  Meiji  (1868)! 
sought  to  attach  himself  to  the  government,  and  being  prevented 
from  becoming  a  member  of  it  by  the  emphatic  negative  of  Asano 
Yo-Ake,  who — for  the  moment  during  which  the  future  of  Nip- 
pon hung  in  the  scales  between  a  virtual  Shogunate  and  real  em- 
pire— had  stepped  into  the  breach  as  an  all-powerful  dictator. 
Now,  although  Lord  Yo-Ake  had  retired  from  outward  political 
duties  as  soon  as  he  had  firmly  established  the  Mikado  in  Tokyo, 
his  tenets  were  being  carried  out  almost  identically  by  his  mate- 
rial successors,  so  that  Saburo  Ikeda  found  the  ears  of  these  no 
more  open  to  his  plaints  than  had  been  those  of  Lord  Yo-Ake. 
Perforce,  as  a  maintenance  for  his  growing  daughter  and  himself, 
he  had  installed  himself  in  his  present  position  at  Mukojima;  yet, 
he  had  never  ceased  to  dream  and  plan  of  the  possibility  of  some 
day  reverting  to  his  former  status. 

It  occurred  to  him  now  that  an  opportunity  was  unfolding  to- 
ward this  desired  consummation,  could  he  but  grasp  it.  Saito  was 
disgruntled  with  the  present  government,  as  was  shown  by  his 
withdrawal  from  participation  in  any  of  its  affairs.  He  might, 
Ikeda  argued,  be  prevailed  upon  to  lead  a  revolutionary  move- 
ment against  the  diet  under  certain  conditions,  in  which  event  he 
would  be  already  partly  equipped  by  virtue  of  his  well-attended 
school  for  samurai  at  Satsuma.  This,  Ikeda  calculated  roughly, 
would  furnish  as  it  now  stood  possibly  some  five  hundred  trained 
and  tried  men-at-arms  for  the  nucleus  of  a  contemplated  revolt, 
moreover  it  was  beyond  mere  supposition  that  Saito's  immense 
popularity  with  the  old  samurai  and  the  populace  would,  at  the 
first  hint  that  he  proposed  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  a  body 
of  men  for  the  restoration  of  old  Nippon,  treble  his  ranks  in  less 
than  no  time.  On  that  issue  Ikeda  felt  there  need  be  no  apprehen- 
sion, but  he  was  not  so  sanguine  as  to  presuppose  that  the  ulti- 
mate successful  outcome  of  so  great  and  far-reaching  a  signifi- 


122  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

cance  could  be  accomplished  by  the  personal  efforts  of  a  few  thou- 
sand fighting  men  and  the  acclaims  of  an  easily  swayed  populace. 
Saga  had  tried  conclusions  with  the  government  on  that  same  rea- 
soning some  two  years  before,  failing  most  disastrously.  Ikeda 
believed  he  could  put  his  finger  on  the  exact  weak  spot  in  the  ar- 
mor of  Saga's  rebellion — its  absolute  confinement  to  a  single  lo- 
cality of  interest  and  action.  That  is,  Saga  had  failed  because  he 
represented  the  interests  of  but  one  class  of  the  people  as  against 
the  interests  of  the  whole  country,  a  handicap  Ikeda  determined 
to  avoid  at  the  outset  should  he  be  successful  in  inducing  Saito  to 
espouse  a  cause  of  his. 

He  planned  for,  now  that  it  was  necessary  his  contemplated 
movement  should  embrace  what  it  stood  for,  all  conditions  of 
old  Nippon.  Undoubtedly,  he  argued,  there  were  many  with  inter- 
ests now  bound  up  in  certain  of  the  empire's  developing  industries 
who  might  be  brought  to  aid  him  through  their  still  predominant 
reverence  for  that  Nippon  of  the  Shogunate  days,  and  could  these 
but  be  discovered  and  secured  toward  his  revolt,  it  would  be  a 
long  step  toward  its  successful  climax.  But,  most  of  all,  he  count- 
ed on  the  adherents  of  former  Tokugawa  partisans  who,  like  him- 
self, were  now  in  reduced  circumstances.  The  prestige  and  family 
connections  of  such  would  be  incalculably  far  reaching,  under- 
mining even  many  of  the  present  diet's  offices.  This  honeycombing 
of  the  empire  was,  Ikeda  saw,  the  needed  factor  to  his  ultimate 
success,  and  must  be  accomplished  before  it  would  be  practical  to 
proclaim  a  state  of  arms  against  this  new  order  of  things. 

Resolved  upon  this,  he  now  bethought  him  of  ways  and  means 
toward  its  fulfillment.  It  was  one  thing  to  plan  a  gathering  of  mal- 
contents, and  quite  another  to  bring  it  to  an  actuality.  As  a  first 
step  toward  the  latter,  money  was  essential,  and  this  he  lacked. 
With  money  he  could  approach  former  acquaintances  with  a  view 
to  enlisting  their  sympathies  and  co-operation,  and  be  enabled  to 
conduct  meetings  in  places  where  good  food,  wine  and  privacy — 
indispensable  adjuncts — would  be  procurable,  which,  alas  !  his  own 
meager  establishment,  that  barely  sufficed  for  the  support  of  his 
daughter  and  himself,  could  not  provide.  His  credit  was  worth- 
less, his  prospects  nil,  his  few  remaining  friends  as  bankrupt  as 
himself.  Where  and  how  then  to  obtain  money? 


A  SORRY  TRADE  123 

Pondering,  he  glanced  abstractedly  across  the  avenue,  where  he 
chanced  to  perceive  and  recognize  one  familiar  to  him  in  bygone 
days — Tanaka  san,  proprietor  of  the  houses  known  as  The  Jewel 
River  in  the  Yoshiwara,  or  "Flower  Quarter,"  of  Tokyo.  Ikeda 
recalled,  idly,  that  this  person  had  once  been  wont  to  lend  sums 
of  money  to  his  temporarily  embarrassed  patrons,  at  usurious 
rates  of  interest  it  was  true,  but  money  nevertheless.  Aforetime, 
he  had  himself  had  recourse  to  this  Tanaka,  and  from  the  fact 
that  he  had  in  those  days  promptly  discharged  such  indebtedness 
he  suddenly  conceived  that  it  might  be  barely  possible  he  could 
again  approach  him  successfully  on  such  a  topic.  In  any  event 
Tanaka  seemed  the  sole  source  likely  to  entertain  a  proposal  to 
make  him  a  loan,  and  with  this  thought  in  mind,  Ikeda  stepped 
forth  from  the  yose  entrance  into  the  passing  throng  of  sight- 
seers, gesticulating  to  attract  the  vanishing  Tanaka's  attention. 
Eventually  this  individual,  perceiving  that  some  one  was  trying  to 
attract  his  attention  with  the  evident  desire  of  speech,  crossed 
over  toward  the  yose. 

As  Tanaka  approached  him,  Ikeda  noted  that  he  preserved  the 
same  sleek,  smooth  appearance  as  of  yore,  and  then,  when  he  was 
within  easy  speaking  distance,  plunged  into  his  subject  without 
reserve. 

"You  recall  me,  Tanaka?"  he  asked.  "Saburo  Ikeda— Lord  Ike- 
da,  you  know,  of  the  Shogun's  Baka-fu?  Step  within  this  yose;  I 
have  a  word  for  your  private  ear." 

Tanaka  accompanied  him  as  requested,  and  when  they  had 
found  a  quiet  place — for  the  afternoon  was  waning  and  attend- 
ance at  the  yose  had  somewhat  fallen  off — prepared  to  listen  to 
what  disclosures  his  companion  had  in  store  for  him. 

"I  presume,"  began  Ikeda,  "that  you  still  control  your  houses, 
The  Jewel  River?" 

Tanaka  admitted  the  truth  of  this  surmise,  adding: 

"Business  is  improving  since  the  advent  of  the  'Foreigner' ; 
yet  I  lost  so  much  in  loans  to  the  nobles  of  the  Shogun's  court  at 
the  time  of  the  Restoration  that  it  will  be  long,  I  fear,  before  I 
recover  from  those  bad  debts." 

"Then,"  said  Ikeda,  "you  would  not  be  averse  to  seeing  your 
debtors  in  a  position  in  which  they  would  be  able  to  repay  you  ?" 


124  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Naturally  not,"  answered  Tanaka,  slightly  surprised. 

"Even  if  it  required  a  small  outlay  on  your  part  to  bring  such  a 
state  of  affairs  about?"  continued  Ikeda. 

"If  it  might  be  done  securely,"  assented  Tanaka,  cautiously,  now 
both  suspicious  and  wary  of  Ikeda's  intentions.  He  had  a  premo- 
nition of  what  was  coming  and  did  not  favor  Saburo  Ikeda  as  a 
desirable  investment. 

Ikeda  leaned  impressively  toward  him. 

"Tanaka,"  said  he,  in  low,  eager  tones,  "I  want  you  to  lend  me  a 
thousand  yen." 

Tanaka  spread  his  hands  out,  deprecatingly. 

"A  thousand  yen!"  he  exclaimed.  "By  the  gods,  I  do  not  own 
such  a  sum !  You  might  better  ask  that  I  give  you  my  houses  of 
The  Jewel  River,  incumbrances,  good-will  and  all." 

"If  you  have  it  not,  you  can  procure  it  easily,"  argued  Ikeda,  ig- 
noring the  money-lender's  incredulity,  "and  its  loan  now  will  re- 
turn you  its  weight  multiplied  thrice." 

"In  how  long?"  asked  Tanaka. 

"One  year  from  the  date  of  its  receipt,"  assured  Ikeda. 
Tanaka  pondered. 

"There  would  have  to  be  excellent  security,"  he  cautioned. 

"There  is,"  answered  Ikeda. 

"What?" 

"My  word." 

"Not  negotiable,"  was  Tanaka's  imperturable  answer. 
Ikeda  pretended  to  grow  angry. 

"Do  you  refuse  the  word  of  a  gentleman?"  he  asked,  with  some- 
thing of  his  old  manner. 

"I  prefer  his  seals  upon  other  securities  when  loaning  him  my 
money,"  replied  Tanaka,  unmoved.  "I  have  the  words  of  many 
noble  gentlemen  now  in  return  for  my  monies,  yet  they  still  re- 
main my  debtors." 

Ikeda  tried  other  tactics. 

"If  you  will  but  lend  me  this  paltry  sum  I  will  soon  place  many 
of  your  debtors  in  a  position  from  which  they  will  be  able  to  re- 
pay you  principal  and  interest,"  he  insisted  in  low  tones.  "Listen, 
Tanaka.  Your  loan  can  not  be  otherwise  than  safe  with  me.  There 


A  SORRY  TRADE  125 

are  many  coming  changes — changes  of  which  you  know  nothing. 
I  shall  soon  be  in  a  position  worthy  of  my  name,  I  tell  you.  You 
may  find  it  greatly  to  your  advantage  to  have  a  friend  in  Saburo 
Ikeda  shortly." 

Tanaka  shrugged  his  shoulders  incredulously. 

"I  do  not  see  any  signs  of  the  many  changes  at  which  you  hint," 
said  he;  "nor  any  possibility  of  your  fortunes  becoming  altered 
for  the  better." 

Ikeda,  fearful  of  losing  this  sole  opportunity  of  securing  the 
coveted  loan,  became  slightly  incautious. 

"That  is  because  you  do  not  know,"  he  replied.  "The  whole 
country  is  aroused  against  the  pro-'Foreign'  policy  of  the  govern- 
ment. That  government,  Tanaka,  can  not  much  longer  stand  upon 
its  false  foundations,  and  it  dare  not  change  its  attitude  now  for 
fear  of  retaliation.  Men  may  call  it  what  they  please,  but  in  reality 
it  is  but  a  Yo-Ake  government,  given  by  the  father,  carried  out 
by  the  son.  Do  you  suppose  Nippon  will  long  permit  a  continuance 
of  such  things  ?  I  know,  Tanaka,  I  know !  Am  I  not  of  those  from 
whom  the  natural  advisory  rulers  of  the  country  are  drawn?  Have 
you  not  heard  that  Lord  Saito  has  founded  a  school  for  samurai 
at  Satsuma?" 

"So  that  is  where  Lord  Saito  disappeared  to,"  mused  Tanaka, 
thinking  deeply.  His  profession  required  that  he  should  keep 
abreast  of  the  times,  both  politically  and  socially. 

"Disappeared!"  exclaimed  Ikeda,  scornfully.  "Your  knowledge 
of  things  is  sadly  lacking,  Tanaka.  Saito  is  in  Tokyo  now,  and 
was  conversing  with  me  but  a  short  half  hour  ago  on  subjects  that 
might  surprise  you." 

"I  might  be  inclined  to  consider  such  a  loan  provided  I  knew 
something  of  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended,"  said  Tana- 
ka at  last,  in  the  tones  of  one  who  was  becoming  slowly  convinced, 
"although  the  gods  alone  know  where  I  could  procure  the  sum 
you  mention." 

"Furies  of  hell,  man !"  broke  out  Ikeda.  "Have  I  not  told  enough 
already?" 

Tanaka  fixed  Ikeda  with  a  pair  of  relentless  eyes. 

"Yes,  you  have,"  said  he,  "told  me  sufficient  to  show  me  that  you 


126  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

and  Lord  Saito  are  planning  a  repetition  of  the  Saga  revolt,  and 
that  you  require  a  thousand  yen  to  join  yourself  with  it. 

"You  have  no  right  to  jump  to  such  a  hasty  conclusion,"  object- 
ed Ikeda,  now  frightened  at  what  he  had  said  to  Tanaka. 

"I  would  be  but  a  fool  could  I  not  see  that  which  is  so  appar- 
ent," retorted  Tanaka.  "As  to  the  loan,  I  am  an  honest  subject  of 
the  Mikado  and  see  no  reason  why  I  should  help  his  evident  ene- 
mies." 

A  cold  perspiration  broke  out  on  Ikeda's  brow  as  he  realized 
the  import  of  Tanaka's  words,  and  how  completely  the  latter  had 
him  in  his  power.  What  disavowal  he  might  have  attempted  or 
what  further  Tanaka  might  have  threatened  remained  unknown, 
for  an  interruption  occurred  just  then  in  the  person  of  a  girl — or 
rather  young  woman — of  such  exceeding  and  dainty  beauty  as  to 
distract  Tanaka's  attention  momentarily.  She  approached  the  two, 
and  bowing  to  Ikeda,  indicated  an  overcoat  she  bore  on  her  arm. 
"I  have  brought  your  howari,  father,  against  the  chill  of  the 
evening,"  said  she.  "Shall  you  be  home  in  time  for  an  early  sup- 
per?" 

She  extended  her  arm  holding  the  overcoat  as  she  spoke,  and 
Tanaka  noted  with  admiration  the  perfect  symmetry  of  wrist  and 
hand. 

Ikeda  nodded  absently  to  his  daughter's  query. 
"Shortly,  shortly,  Ren-ko,"  said  he. 

"Then  I  will  retire  to  prepare  it,"  she  answered,  and,  bowing  to 
her  father  without  paying  any  attention  to  his  companion,  with- 
drew. 

Tanaka  prepared  to  renew  the  conversation. 
"Your  daughter?"  he  asked  of  Ikeda,  still  watching  the  grace- 
fully retreating  form  of  the  girl. 

Again  Ikeda  nodded.  He  was  too  sunk  in  a  troubled  mind  to 

give  thought  to  such  topics ;  moreover  he  would  not  in  any  case 

have  discussed  a  lady  of  his  household  with  one  of  Tanaka's  caste. 

"She  is  beautifully  perfect,"  continued  Tanaka,  still  watching 

her ;  "extraordinarily  so !" 

He  remained,  his  head  still  strained  to  catch  the  last  of  her 
vanishing  figure,  until  she  had  passed  outside  the  yose  entrance, 
then  turned  suddenly  to  Ikeda. 


A  SORRY  TRADE  127 

"I  will  loan  you  that  one  thousand  yen,  Ikeda,"  said  he,  "upon 
one  condition — " 

Ikeda  glanced  up,  his  heart  palpitating  with  sudden  fear  and 
hope. 

"That  you  give  your  daughter  into  my  keeping  as  your  security," 
concluded  Tanaka. 


ON  THE  ROLL  OF  FATE 


Would  but  some  winged  Angel  ere  too  late 
Arrest  the  yet  unfolded  Roll  of  Fate, 

And  make  the  stern  Recorder  otherwise 
Enregister,  or  quite  obliterate!—  OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

JTOR  a  moment  Ikeda  stared  at  Tanaka  in  sheer  amazement,  then, 
as  the  interpretation  of  the  latter's  meaning  formed  in  his  mind, 
he  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  face  fairly  livid  at  the  insult  offered  his 
family. 
"You  vile  harlot-huckster !"  he  broke  forth.  "You  low—" 


ON  THE  ROLL  OF  FATE  I2Q 

"Not  so  loud,"  reminded  Tanaka,  quietly  yet  menacingly. 
"Others  might  chance  to  overhear  you,  when  certain  unfortunate 
explanations  would  become  necessary." 

The  realization  of  Tanaka's  recently  acquired  power  over  him 
sobered  Ikeda,  and  he  relapsed  into  a  sullen,  angry  silence. 

"This  is  my  proposal,"  continued  Tanaka,  "which  you  may,  of 
course,  reject  if  you  deem  such  a  course  advisable.  How  old  is 
your  daughter  ?" 

Ikeda  comprehended  Tanaka's  hidden  threat  in  the  slight  ac- 
centing of  the  word  "advisable." 

"Seventeen,"  he  growled. 

"A  very  good  age,"  responded  Tanaka.  "If  I  loan  you  this  yen 
one  thousand  it  must  be  upon  some  more  stable  security  than  your 
personal  ambitions.  Your  daughter  is  acceptable  to  me  as  such — 
nay,"  he  continued  as  Ikeda  made  as  if  to  interrupt,  "hear  me  out 
before  you  decide.  Can  she  perform  on  samisen  and  koto?" 
Ikeda  nodded. 

"Do  you  not  know  that  noble  ladies  are  taught  such  accomplish- 
ments ?"  said  he. 

"Yet  there  is  a  difference  between  the  superficial  accomplish- 
ments of  noble  ladies  and  the  work  of  real  artists,"  dissented  Tan- 
aka. "However,  if  not  already  proficient  your  daughter  will — or 
I  am  making  my  first  mis-guess  at  such — acquire  the  art  in  little 
or  no  time.  I  propose  that  she  be  installed  at  the  Jewel  River  as 
a  geisha  for  the  space  of  one  year.  I  will  lend  you  now  this  yen 
one  thousand  upon  your  written  agreement  to  repay  me  yen  three 
thousand  at  the  end  of  that  time,  during  which  your  daughter 
shall  be  your  hostage ;  but  if  you  fail  to  liquidate  the  indebtedness 
in  full  at  the  end  of  the  stipulated  year,  she  is  to  belong  absolute- 
ly to  me  until  she,  by  her  own  efforts,  repays  the  whole  amount. 
Do  you  agree?" 

Ikeda,  who  had  been  thinking  hard  during  Tanaka's  expounding 
of  his  proposal,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  such  an  arrangement 
would  benefit  him  greatly.  Moreover,  he  was  of  a  sanguine  tem- 
perament, and  did  not  believe  in  the  possibility  of  failure  to  his 
scheme. 

"There  is  one  proviso  that  would  first  have  to  be  considered," 


I3O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

said  he.  "It  will  be  necessary  that  I  have  at  my  disposal,  always, 
one  room  in  the  Jewel  River." 

Tanaka  reflected  a  moment.  He  perceived  at  once  that  such  a 
privilege  extended  Ikeda  would  redound  to  the  financial  benefit  of 
the  Jewel  River,  because  the  bulk  of  the  yen  one  thousand  would 
find  its  way  back  into  his  own  pockets  through  the  medium  of  the 
profits  on  his  sake,  food,  and  the  like,  yet  hesitated  on  account  of 
the  danger  of  furnishing  a  place  of  meeting  to  a  conspiracy. 

"If  you  choose  to  occupy  a  room  in  my  house,"  said  he  finally 
and  non-committally,  "that  is  no  affair  of  mine,  and  the  private 
arrangements  between  ourselves  regarding  such  a  privilege  will 
be  no  affair  of  others.  But  it  must  be  understood  that  in  all  re- 
spects your  position  in  my  house  is  the  same  as  that  of  any  other 
visitor — your  privacy  as  inviolate.  I  am  not  supposed  to  concern 
myself  with  what  my  guests  permit  within  rooms  hired  by  them — 
unless  I  chance  to  know  such  to  be  against  the  law  and  order  of 
the  country." 

"With  the  acceptance  of  that  proviso,  then,  I  agree  to  your  pro- 
posal," assented  Ikeda. 

Tanaka  arose,  prepared  to  bring  the  conversation  to  a  close. 

"I  will  proceed  to  the  'Flower  Quarter'  for  the  necessary  papers 
and  the  money,"  said  he.  "When  and  where  can  we  complete  this 
transaction  ?" 

"My  duties  end  here  at  sundown  for  a  short  space,"  suggested 
Ikeda.  "Why  not  return  here  for  me  at  that  hour,  when  we  can 
adjourn  to  my  home  for  a  bite  and  sup,  and  there  arrange  all  final 
details?" 

"That  will  suit  me  excellently,"  agreed  Tanaka.  "At  sundown 
then  I  will  be  awaiting  you  without.  Sayonara  till  then." 

After  bidding  farewell  to  Ikeda,  Saito  had  wandered  about  the 
city  for  some  time,  now  passing  old  acquaintances,  now  pausing 
to  view  once  familiar  scenes,  until,  the  afternoon  far  spent,  he 
determined  to  indulge  the  craving  he  felt  to  talk  with  Kiku-ko 
once  again.  In  reality  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  have 
hesitated  to  call  at  Tokiyori's  besso,  for  although  he  and  Kiku- 
ko's  husband  were  the  antithesis  of  one  another  politically,  they 


ON  THE  ROLL  OF  FATE  13! 

were  still  socially  upon  terms  of  apparent  amity,  and  as  Kiku-ko's 
kinsman  he  was  assured  of  a  welcome. 

As  he  had  anticipated,  he  found  Kiku-ko  alone  at  the  villa,  she 
having  returned  thither  from  Mukojima  with  Aysia,  leaving  To- 
kiyori  to  accompany  Lord  Sakurai  first  to  Niijima,  and  after- 
wards to  continue  on  to  his  offices  in  the  diet  chambers.  His 
meeting  with  Kiku-ko  was  somewhat  constrained  at  first,  for 
neither  had  seen  much  of  one  another  since  the  afternoon  of  his 
serenade  beneath  the  balcony  of  the  besso,  attired  as  a  minstrel, 
and  that  same  night  when  he  had  led  his  samurai  in  an  attack  on 
what  he  supposed  was  the  house  of  a  traitor.  After  the  first  few 
questions  about  members  of  the  Satsuma  family  and  affairs  in  the 
south,  their  conversation  drifted  into  more  personal  channels,  Ki- 
ku-ko asking  him  what  he  intended  doing  now  that  he  had  retired 
from  any  active  part  in  public  affairs. 

"Nothing,  as  regards  further  service  to  the  government,"  Saito 
replied  in  answer  to  her  question.  "My  heart  is  sickened  when  I 
look  upon  our  sacred  city  and  note  that  here,  in  its  greatest  temple, 
our  Japan  is  fast  becoming  but  a  memory.  I  shall  reside  perman- 
ently in  Satsuma,  where — as  yet —  no  'Foreign'  impurities  have 
invaded." 

"Aysia  and  I  are  leaving  Tokio  shortly  for  Moto,"  continued  Ki- 
ku-ko. "We  expect  to  be  there  the  greater  part  of  the  hot  summer 
months.  The  marquis  has  grown  very  attached  to  Aysia,  and  rare- 
ly visits  Biwa-ko  without  taking  us  with  him.  As  Moto  is  so  much 
nearer  Satsuma  than  is  Tokyo,  perhaps  we  shall  be  favored  with 
an  occasional  visit  from  you  there,  Saito  san." 
Saito  shook  his  head,  sadly. 

"I  think  not,"  said  he.  "I  dare  say  Lord  Yo-Ake  would  make  me 
welcome  enough,  but  I  could  not  bear  to  look  upon  Moto,  and  our 
bower  again,  Kiku-ko.  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  soon  in  the  full 
beauty  of  its  wistaria  blooms,  but  I  have  no  desire  to  hear  possible 
'Foreign'  visitors  to  the  castle  defiling  its  music  with  their  hoarse, 
coarse  speech — bawling  in  their  ill  breeding  where  once  your  sami- 
sen  did  sing.  It  would  paint  for  me  too  vividly  all  that  I  have  lost, 
the  bitter,  failure  of  the  hopes  and  visions  I  then  had  for  our  fu- 
ture, and  our  country." 


132  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

He  relapsed  into  silence,  while  Kiku-ko  felt  a  moisture  dim- 
ming her  eyes  as  she  thought  of  that  one  perfect  evening  with  him 
in  the  bower. 

"Our  Nippon  has  gone  from  us,"  continued  Saito,  after  a  few 
moments,  ''back  into  the  land  of  art-shadows  and  mists  from 
whence  it  came.  Its  winter  snows  are  broken  and  soiled  now  with 
the  trampling  of  foreign  feet,  and  of  its  summers,  all,  excepting 
their  sun,  is  set.  Nippon  is  dead,  leaving  a  few  of  us  who  loved  it 
to  mingle  our  tears  over  its  almost  forgotten  grave.  I  mourn  for 
that  which  was,  and  loath  this  which  is,  Kiku-ko — this  Japan  to 
which  I  belong  not  at  all,  and  which  has  no  welcome  for  such  as 
I.  Thus,  it  seems  to  me,  that  my  life  here  is  now  purposeless,  and 
that  I  should  be  far  happier  awaiting  you  in  the  Meido-Land — 
Lady  of  my  heart." 

Her  tears  were  falling  now,  for  as  the  daughter  of  a  samurai 
she  knew  full  well  that  he  hinted  at  taking  his  own  life.  He  sought 
her  hand,  and  finding  it,  pressed  it  tenderly  to  his  cheeks,  yet  with 
a  reverence  that  removed  somehow  any  insult  to  her,  a  wife. 

"Oh,  do  not  think  and  say  such  things,  Saito  san !"  she  plead, 
finding  her  voice  at  last.  "You  are  great  and  strong,  and  I  know 
the  gods  place  not  such  in  this  world  without  giving  to  them  a 
mission." 

"My  mission  died  when  Nippon  closed  her  flowers  o'er  her  eyes," 
he  answered. 

"Yet  she  left  you  to  guard  and  care  for  her  children,"  replied 
Kiku-ko,  quickly.  "She  counted  on  such  as  you  to  cherish  the 
babes  of  her  heart  whom  she  loved.  Will  you  fail  her?  Our  people 
reverence  you  and  look  to  you  for  aid  and  protection." 

"Only  when  they  are  in  the  extremes  of  danger,"  he  replied, 
moodily.  "The  men  of  Nippon  are  now  too  busy  in  their  endeav- 
ors to  resemble  the  'Barbarian'  to  pay  heed  to  such  out-of-fashion 
persons  as  myself." 

"But  not  her  daughters,"  rejoined  Kiku-ko.  "They  need  the  pro- 
tection of  just  such  nobles  as  yourself — my  knight." 
He  shook  his  head,  still  unconvinced. 

"Will  you  not  live  for  them?"  she  continued,  softly. 

"If  you  wish  it,"  said  he. 


ON  THE  ROLL  OF  FATE  133 

"I  do — with  all  my  heart  and  soul !" 

"So  be  it,  then,"  he  promised.  "From  henceforth  I  live  to  guard 
and  aid  the  women  of  my  land." 

A  little  burst  of  shrill  laughter  interrupted  them,  followed  by 
cries  of  "Kiri !  kiri !  hyaku — hyaku !"  Kiku-ko  slid  the  shoji  that 
gave  out  on  the  garden,  disclosing  to  them  Aysia,  who,  a  flower 
wand  in  hand,  was  chasing  a  group  of  lavender-and-gold  butter- 
flies about  the  compound.  At  sight  of  her  mother's  visitor  she  as- 
sumed a  shy  air  of  demureness  and  entered  through  the  opening 
to  be  presented  to  him." 

"This  is  your  cousin,  the  famous  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma,  dear," 
explained  Kiku-ko  to  her  daughter. 

Aysia  made  the  quaintest  little  bow  imaginable,  and  Saito  pat- 
ted her  head. 

"Had  I  known  what  a  pretty  little  cousin  I  possessed,"  said  he, 
"I  would  not  have  paid  this  visit  empty-handed  of  sweetmeats.  As 
it  is  I  must  hastert  into  the  city  to  repair  my  neglect." 

He  bowed  to  his  two  cousins  and  quitted  the  besso  by  the  'rick- 
sha that  awaited  him  at  the  gateway.  Kiku-ko  and  Aysia  stood  at 
the  open  shoji  watching  until  the  Shiba  verdure  hid  him  from 
sight.  Then,  with  a  little  sigh,  Kiku-ko  closed  the  shoji. 

"Is  not  cousin  Saito  very  handsome,  mother?"  asked  Aysia. 

"Yes,  Aysia;  I  think  the  handsomest  and  bravest  man  in  the 
whole  of  Japan,"  answered  Kiku-ko,  unthinkingly. 

"No,"  corrected  Aysia,  "father  is  that,  you  know.  But  I  think 
that  after  father  and  Midzu-hara  he  is  the  handsomest  and  brav- 
est." 

"Whom  is  Midzu-hara,  little  one?"  asked  Kiku-ko. 

"Oh, a  friend  of  mine," answered  Aysia  with  a  deliciously  grown- 
up air. 


VI 

SAYONARA,  OH  GARDEN  OF  MINE! 


Yon  rising  Moon  that  looks  for  us  again — 
How  oft  hereafter  shall  she  wax  and  wane; 

How  oft  hereafter  rising  look  for  us 
Through  this  same  Garden — and  for  ONE  in  vain!— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

SABURO  IKEDA'S  humble  abode  did  not  present  many  oppor- 
tunities for  extended  housekeeping,  and  limited  as  Ren-ko  was  for 
space  and  necessities,  she  was  fortunate  in  being  expected  to  pre- 
pare only  the  simplest  of  meals.  Thus,  having  cooked  the  supper 
rice  and  set  a  bottle  of  cheap  sake  by  her  parent's  tray,  she  with- 


SAYONARA,  OH  GARDEN  OF  MINE  !  135 

drew  to  her  little  room  whilst  awaiting  the  homecoming  of  her 
father. 

Yet,  if  she  was  unfortunate  in  the  attributes  of  ordinary  life, 
Ren-ko  had  one  compensation  for  the  unkindness  of  her  fate — 
the  small  garden  at  the  rear  of  the  cottage.  Here  with  loving  care 
she  grew  the  seasonal  flowers  and  vines,  and  sometimes — for  the 
flowers  seemed  grateful  for  her  understanding  of  and  sympathy 
with  them — little  odd,  nameless  shrubs  and  plants  would  peep  up 
from  the  earth  to  afford  her  joy  and  amusement.  As  she  entered 
her  room  she  slid  the  shoji  of  it,  that  she  might  wish  her  garden 
an  o  yasumi  nasai. 

Dusk  was  touching  the  cherry  petals  of  the  Mukojima  trees 
with  leaden,  gray  fingers,  and  through  the  open  window  Ren-ko 
could  discern  the  faint  night  mist  draping  gracefully  over  the  petal- 
strewn  waters  of  the  Sumida  like  the  coverlet  of  a  futon,  while 
here  and  there  twinkling  lanterns  began  to  gleam  along  the  av- 
enue. Far-away — so  it  seemed  to  her — lay  the  great,  sleepless  city, 
with  Fuji-no-yama  watching  over  the  changing  panoramic  life, 
serene  in  its  snow-capped  distant  height,  and  over  the  tree  tops, 
toward  this,  a  silvery  light  was  spreading  in  the  soft,  waxlike  sky 
to  forerun  the  stately  flight  of  April's  moon. 

She  stood  for  a  few  moments  inhaling  the  beauty  of  the  fading 
twilight,  then  turning  back  into  the  little  room,  lit  the  single  an- 
don  it  contained,  and  kneeling  by  the  faint  glow,  proceeded  to 
turn  the  leaves  of  a  brightly-colored  book  lent  her  that  day  by  a 
neighbor.  It  portrayed  scenes  from  the  various  fetes  for  which 
the  Yoshiwara  was  celebrated,  among  them  the  great  annual  pro- 
cession of  its  oiiran,  spread  across  the  double  pages  of  the  book 
in  a  pageant  of  startling  color  and  magnificence.  The  reproduc- 
tions were  faithful,  even  to  detail,  for,  despite  the  richness  of  the 
display,  the  artist  had  caught  and  pictured  the  unearthly  nothing- 
ness and  mechanism  in  the  features  of  the  courtesans,  transform- 
ing even  the  gorgeous  fulness  of  their  kimonos  into  a  semblance 
of  utter  woodenness.  With  full,  crimsoned  lips,  faces  and  necks 
bedaubed  with  the  unnaturalness  of  dead-white  paint  and  pow- 
der, stiff  with  the  embroidered  gold  and  silver  of  crepe  and  silk, 
apparently  seeing,  feeling  and  knowing  nothing,  passed  on  the 


136  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

pages  before  her,  by  twos  and  twos,  the  endless  oiiran,  attended 
each  by  two  small  maiden  neophytes  in  their  novitiate. 

Ren-ko  studied  the  drawings  rapturously,  until  in  a  childish 
spirit  of  play,  she  commenced  unconsciously  to  pace  her  tiny 
apartment  in  mimicry  of  the  pictured  beauties.  Left  much  to  her 
own  devices,  she  had  acquired  a  habit  of  amusing  herself  by  se- 
cret acting,  and  with  the  necessity  of  ever  developing  this  art  fur- 
ther to  appease  the  craving  of  her  critical  loneliness,  had  achieved 
a  perfection  in  it.  Up  and  down  her  apartment  she  tripped,  raising 
her  feet  as  though  shod  with  the  highest  of  geta,  until,  ever  and 
anon  resuming  her  seat  by  the  andon  for  a  fresh  study  of  details, 
she  decided  that  nothing  was  lacking  in  her  imitation  to  make  it 
live,  excepting  the  reality  itself — ah,  yes;  one  thing  was  awry, 
the  oiiran  in  the  pictures  wore  the  bows  of  their  obi  knotted  in 
front!  Again  she  studied  the  reproductions  to  reassure  herself 
upon  this  point,  and  then  noting  that  the  same  custom  prevailed 
for  one  and  all  of  the  unfortunates  in  the  pictured  procession, 
slipped  the  bow  of  her  own  obi  to  the  front,  exactly  after  the 
fashion  prescribed  for  the  inmates  of  the  "Flower  Quarter." 

"There!"  exclaimed  Ren-ko,  as  she  completed  her  task,  "now  I 
am  a  real  oiiran !" 

She  heard  the  fusima  of  the  adjoining  apartment  open,  and  has- 
tened into  the  room  to  serve  her  father  with  his  evening  meal.  In 
the  doorway  she  stopped  suddenly,  all  confused,  for  she  perceived 
that  he  had  brought  to  their  home  a  guest — a  most  unusual  oc- 
currence— who  was  evidently  the  same  with  whom  she  had  found 
him  conversing  at  the  yose  earlier  in  the  afternoon. 

"Your  supper  is  prepared,  father,"  she  faltered.  "I  was  not 
aware  of  your  intentions  to  bring  an  honorable  guest  with  you, 
and  must  crave  his  pardon  for  so  poor  a  meal." 

"It  will  suffice,"  answered  Ikeda,  while  Tanaka  murmured  some- 
thing about  the  divineness  of  the  surroundings  compensating  for 
any  fare,  however  humble.  He  was,  in  truth,  although  he  would 
not  admit  such  even  to  himself,  a  little  secretly  awed  by  his  sud- 
den close  association  with  his  born  superiors. 

"Bring  my  ink-case  and  writing  table,"  continued  Ikeda  to  his 
daughter,  "and  then  serve  supper." 


SAYONARA,  OH  GARDEN  OF  MINE  !  137 

She  retired  quickly  into  the  privacy  of  her  small  room,  and 
after  a  few  seconds  devoted  to  the  rearranging  of  her  attire,  re- 
entered  the  apartment  with  the  ink-case,  which,  with  the  table, 
she  placed  before  her  parent ;  she  then  set  the  supper  tables,  plac- 
ing her  own,  with  its  scanty  meal,  before  the  mat  of  their  guest. 
This  done  she  withdrew  to  her  room,  supperless. 

Before  the  window  once  more  she  stood,  yet  now  it  seemed  the 
beauty  of  the  landscape  had  become  erased  by  the  dark  shade  that 
lay  over  all.  Presently  this  dispelled,  and  the  rim  of  the  rising 
moon  semi-circled  the  tops  of  a  gathering  of  trees.  Slowly,  but 
invincibly,  it  rose  until  its  half  globe  of  molten  radiance  showered 
a  ripe,  full  light,  rich  as  spilling  quicksilver.  Then,  like  an  enor- 
mous andon  in  the  velvet  courts  of  night,  it  hung  above  the  Cherry 
Avenue.  It  dimmed  the  lanterns  among  the  trees,,  and  shed  its 
cold,  unerring  glamor  over  road  and  river,  creeping  in  and  out 
among  the  tree  trunks  and  shadow-blackened  booths  and  yose  like 
some  great  occult  searchlight,  from  whose  insistence  nothing 
could  hide.  She  noted  the  still  falling  clouds  of  cherry  petals,  sil- 
ver flaked  by  the  moon — and  suddenly  to  Ren-ko  they  seemed  as 
cold  as  winter  snow.  Beneath  her  shoji  the  little  garden  lay,  frost- 
ed in  this  whiteness,  the  flowers  motionless  and  lifeless  as  though 
of  carven  ivory.  A  shadow  touched  her  soul,  awful  in  the  perfec- 
tion of  its  deathlike  nothingness. 

Presently  she  distinguished  the  voice  of  her  father  summoning 
her  to  the  adjoining  apartment,  and  with  a  sigh  that  contained  in 
its  notes  the  loneliness  of  a  last  farewell,  entered  the  room  where 
the  two  men  were.  Their  supper  was  over;  before  Ikeda  lay  a 
freshly  signed  and  sealed  scroll. 

"Ren-ko,"  said  he,  without  lifting  his  eyes  from  the  scroll,  "  a 
change  has  entered  our  lives  necessitating  a  removal  of  abode.  In 
the  immediate  future  my  own  movements  will  be  to  some  extent 
uncertain — unavoidably  so.  Because  of  this  I  have  arranged  for  a 
temporary  asylum  for  you  with  this  man,  Mr.  Tanaka.  It  is  my 
wish  that  you  prepare  to  accompany  him  as  soon  as  possible." 

He  stopped  and  eyed  her  anxiously,  while  Ren-ko  strove  to  re- 
cover from  the  bewilderment  of  his  sudden  and  unexpected  an- 
nouncement. 
"Where  is  to  be  my  abode,  father  ?"  she  faltered,  finally. 


138  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Ikeda  cleared  his  throat,  nervously. 

"At — that  is,  I  would  say  I  believe  this  man — Mr.  Tanaka's 
house  is  called  the — The  Jewel  River,"  explained  Ikeda  with  ob- 
vious confusion. 

"The  Jewel  River?"  repeated  Ren-ko,  still  bewildered.  "The 
Jewel  River?" 

Then  a  light,  as  cold  and  relentless  as  the  moon,  dawned  on 
her,  nipping,  as  frost  nips  flower,  the  warmth  of  her  maiden  inno- 
cence. No  abodes  of  her  knowing  were  called  by  such  name  as 
Jewel  River,  but  on  the  banners  borne  among  the  oiiran  of  her 
picture  book  similar  unique  insignia  was  frequent.  She  came  a 
step  nearer  her  father,  her  lips  parted,  her  eyes  staring  as  though 
at  some  startling  horror,  her  little  shapely  hands  clasped  over  her 
breasts  as  though  to  hold  shut  the  door  of  its  purity — its  sanctum 
— against  the  vandalism  of  mankind. 

"Am  I  sold,  my  father  ?"  she  quavered,  her  mouth  drooping  pite- 
ously. 

Ikeda  turned  his  head  away,  murmuring  something  about  "de- 
graded circumstances"  and  the  "appurtenances  of  the  house  of 
Ikeda,"  but  neither  he  nor  his  guest  said  aught  to  her.  She  gazed, 
as  though  for  some  word  of  comfort,  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
still  they  sat  immobile — Ikeda  through  shame,  Tanaka  because  his 
time  was  not  yet.  They  seemed  to  her  like  two  great  giant  spiders, 
motionless,  relentless,  their  spinnerets  weaving  silent  webs  about 
their  helpless  victim.  Then — without  warning ;  beyond  her  powers 
of  suppression — a  stifled  hysterical  scream  escaped  her,  as  bury- 
ing her  head  within  her  hands,  she  sobbed  dry,  tearless,  body 
racking  sobs,  that  shook  her  watchers  with  a  creature  anguish. 
"Oh,  sorrow  of  the  gods !"  she  wailed,  "I  am  to  be  an  oiiran !  I 
am  to  be  an  oiiran !" 

She  reached  her  room — how  she  knew  not,  nor  cared — and  me- 
chanically made  up  her  belongings  into  one  small  bundle.  This 
finished,  she  started  to  return  to  her  father  and  Tanaka — then 
stopped  irresolutely,  and  stepped  back  to  the  open  shoji.  It  was  to 
her  garden  that  she  would  make  her  last  farewell.  There  it  lay, 
its  flowers  perfect  in  their  slumber,  the  children  she  had  moth- 
ered because  of  her  unknown,  yet  primal,  instinct  of  motherhood 


SAYONARA,  OH  GARDEN  OF  MINE  !  139 

and  creation.  Her  garden  slept,  the  flowers  folded  on  its  breasts, 
and  when  their  eyes  would  open  on  the  morrow  no  Ren-ko  would 
tend  their  fragile  petals,  no  Ren-ko  would  straighten  or  bend  their 
delicate  stalks.  What  matter  that  some  other  might  learn  to  care 
for  them?  They  were  hers — the  children  of  her  soul. 

The  tears  that  had  not  come  to  ease  her  own  pain,  now  fell  like 
pearl  drops  in  the  moonlight  on  her  garden. 

"Sayonara,  Oh  garden  of  mine,"  whispered  Ren-ko — the  fallen 
flower;  "Sayonara." 


VII 

THE   OLD    FAMILIAR    JUICE 


"Well,"  murmur'd  one,  "Let  whoso  make  or  buy, 
My  Clay  with  long  Oblivion  has  gone  dry: 
But  nil  me  with  the  old  familiar  Juice, 
Methinks  I  might  recover  by  and  by." — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

JL)ECEMBER  of  that  year  brought  with  it  two  visitors  to  Nippon 
— the  seasonal  snow  and  the  now  occidentalized  Taro  Goto — the 
last  in  quest  of  Japanese  laborers  to  fulfill  his  contract.  With  his 
advent  into  Goto's  home  by  the  Sumida  River,  life  had  taken  on 
the  cherriest  of  aspects  to  the  baron.  Taro  was  his  idol,  the  hope 


THE  OLD  FAMILIAR   JUICE  14! 

of  his  family,  and  to  neither  friends  nor  acquaintances  did  Goto 
ever  seem  to  tire  of  recounting  tales  of  his  nephew's  extreme  sa- 
gacity, and  his  wonderful  insight  into  "Foreign"  life  and  cus- 
toms. Hence  it  befell  that  before  he  had  been  in  Tokyo  a  full 
fortnight,  Mr.  Taro  Goto  had  become  somewhat  of  a  celebrity, 
and  was  spoken  of  everywhere  as  a  coming  young  man. 

Among  others  to  whom  the  baron  preferred  entertainments  at 
his  Mukojima  besso  in  honor  of  his  nephew  was  Tokiyori.  Kiku- 
ko  and  Aysia  had  accompanied  the  marquis  to  Biwa-ko  about 
mid-summer,  and  had  not  yet  returned  to  the  city.  With  Taro,  To- 
kiyori was  from  the  first  favorably  impressed,  and  naturally,  for 
the  two  had  much  in  common  regarding  "Foreign"  topics.  He  lis- 
tened with  the  utmost  interest  to  Taro's  plan  concerning  the  ex- 
ploitation of  labor,  and  in  the  end  not  only  agreed  to  assist  his 
enterprise  by  the  issuance  of  the  necessary  passports  and  the 
stamp  of  governmental  approval,  but  suggested  to  Taro  that  he 
form  an  emigration  company,  which  should  also  seek  to  acquire 
lands  for  farming  purposes  in  the  United  States. 

Upon  this  advice  Taro  set  smartly  to  work,  with  the  result  that 
at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  the  Nippon  Land  and  Emigration  Com- 
pany received  its  birth,  with  projected  offices  in  Tokyo  and  San 
Francisco.  Taro  interested  several  men  of  wealth  and  prominence 
in  the  formation  of  this  company,  and  had  himself  elected  general 
manager,  with  almost  limitless  discretionary  powers.  Nor  was  his 
uncle,  the  baron,  forgotten  in  all  this  good  fortune.  Thus,  while 
it  would  have  been  impracticable  for  Goto  because  of  his  promi- 
nent governmental  position  to  become  directly  connected  with  a 
private  enterprise,  the  difficulty  was  surmounted  by  his  being  rep- 
resented through  the  medium  of  a  third  party.  Once  more,  it 
seemed,  prosperity  was  about  to  descend  upon  the  house  of  Goto. 

These  details  to  the  launching  of  the  Nippon  Land  and  Emi- 
gration Company  satisfactorily  completed,  Taro  prepared  to  give 
himself  up  for  the  few  remaining  weeks  of  his  stay  in  Tokyo  to 
the  pleasures  of  the  city,  and  in  accordance  with  this  found  him- 
self strolling  one  evening  through  the  "Flower  Quarter"  of  the 
town,  and  by  chance  in  front  of  the  two  houses  of  The  Jewel  Riv- 
er. Entering,  he  ordered  dinner  and  geisha.  Fate  ordained  that 


142  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

One  of  the  latter  should  be  Ren-ko,  who  for  some  eight  months 
past  had  been  under  Tanaka's  rule,  known  by  her  "house  name" 
as  The  Breath  of  Mukojima.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  entertain- 
ment, Taro  was  so  well  pleased  and  so  profoundly  impressed  with 
her  that  he  engaged  the  same  geisha  for  the  following  evening. 

The  eight  months  subsequent  upon  her  sale  had  developed  Ren- 
ko  from  a  girl  into  a  woman — an  extremely  world-wise  one.  Clev- 
er she  had  always  been.  In  a  manner  she  had  become  reconciled 
to  the  change  in  her  life,  taking  a  positive  interest  and  enjoyment 
in  her  share  of  her  father's  conspiracy,  to  which  she  proved  no 
small  accessory  by  reason  of  her  perfect  adaptability  to  any  and 
all  circumstances  and  the  aid  of  her  truly  wondrous  beauty.  The 
plot  was  progressing  favorably,  and  Ikeda  had  succeeded  in  en- 
rolling Saito  among  its  members — a  fact  due  largely  to  the  lat- 
ter's  interpretation  of  his  promise  to  Kiku-ko,  and  a  secret  hope 
of  overthrowing  the  Yo-Ake  and  ultimately  winning  her. 

The  following  night  saw  Taro  again  in  The  Jewel  River,  ac- 
cording to  his  arrangement  of  the  evening  before.  As  he  was 
leaving  the  house  he  met  Tanaka  by  chance,  and  took  occasion  to 
compliment  him  upon  the  possession  of  such  a  charming  geisha. 

"She  is  a  very  remarkable  girl,"  observed  Taro. 

"She  is,  indeed,  the  pride  of  my  poor  houses,"  agreed  Tanaka. 
"When  in  addition  to  her  accomplishments  as  a  geisha  one  takes 
into  account  the  nobility  of  her  birth  and  breeding,  The  Jewel 
River  may  be  pardoned  if  it  feels  that  it  is  making  every  effort  to 
please  its  customers.  We  hope  for  the  honor  of  a  visit  from  you 
soon  again,  honorable  sir." 

"Of  noble  birth  is  she?"  asked  Taro.  "Who  are  her  parents?" 

"The  honorable  Saburo  Ikeda  is  her  father,"  explained  Tanaka. 

"Saburo  Ikeda?  Not  Lord  Ikeda, once  of  the  Shogun'sBaka-fu?" 

"Yes,"  said  Tanaka,  "the  same." 

"Saburo  Ikeda!"  repeated  Taro,  half  to  himself.  "I  remember 
him  quite  well  when  I  was  but  a  boy.  How  times  have  changed ! 
Well,  sayonara,  landlord;  your  dinner  was  excellent  and  your 
geisha  was  most  charming." 

Later  that  same  night  Taro  took  his  uncle  into  his  confidence 
regarding  the  geisha,  Breath  of  Mukojima. 


THE  OLD   FAMILIAR   JUICE  143 

"I  dined  at  The  Jewel  River  in  the  Yoshiwara  this  evening,"  he 
observed  to  Goto,  with  whom  he  was  conversing  preparatory  to 
retiring  for  the  night,  "and  was  entertained  there  by  a  most  re- 
markable geisha." 

"'If  there  is  folly  in  the  cup,  there  is  also  wisdom  in  the  brewing 
of  it',"  quoted  Goto,  absently,  his  mind  of  late  being  often  occu- 
pied with  calculations  relative  to  Taro's  enterprise.  "You  dined  at 
the  Yoshiwara,  you  say  ?  I  believe  they  still  serve  a  very  good  re- 
past at  some  of  the  houses  there.  By  the  way,  nephew,  how  many 
of  your  ruffian  laborers  do  you  reckon  on  exporting  with  your  first 
shipload?" 

Taro  regarded  his  uncle  impatiently.  He  was  more  interested 
in  the  topic  of  The  Jewel  River  just  then  than  in  the  emigration 
question. 

"With  your  permission,"  said  he,  "I  would  rather  talk  to  you 
about  the  former  Lord  Saburo  Ikeda's  daughter,  who  is  a  geisha 
at  The  Jewel  River,  where  I  dined  this  evening." 

"Old  Ikeda's  daughter  a  geisha!"  exclaimed  Goto.  "Well,  well. 
I  recall  her  when  she  was  a  pretty  little  child.  Times  have  indeed 
altered — 'the  coat  of  the  animal  changes  with  each  new  season/  I 
remember  Ikeda  when  he  and  I  were  on  the  Baka-fu.  A  most  self- 
opinionated  man  was  he,  and  excessively  narrow.  I  recall  when 
he  and  I  dined  once  together  at  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake's  besso  in  the 
Shiba  woodlands.  It  was  the  night  of  Saito's  attack  upon  the 
'Foreign'  embassies.  Ikeda  was  airing  an  absurd  opinion  about 
pickling  eels  in  sea  grass,  and  I  said — " 

"But,  uncle,  I  am  attempting  to  tell  you  about  his  daughter,"  in- 
terrupted Taro,  hastily.  He  knew  that  his  uncle  once  launched  on 
his  favorite  topic  would  conversationally  exhaust  every  subject 
of  gastronomy  pertaining  thereto.  "I  think  her  the  wittiest  and 
most  beautiful  girl  I  have  ever  seen,"  he  continued.  "I  could  not 
begin  to  do  justice  to  her  charms  by  a  mere  description  of  her; 
you  would  have  to  see  her  with  your  own  eyes  to  comprehend  her 
exquisite  beauty." 

"She  is,  then,  so  very  beautiful?"  queried  Goto  with  sudden  in- 
terest. 

"She  is  called,"  answered  Taro,  rapturously,  "The  Breath  of 


144  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Mukojima,  and,  indeed,  she  reminds  me  of  nothing  so  much  as  a 
handful  of  light,  airy,  floating  cherry  petals." 

Goto  chuckled. 

'"To  a  lover's  eyes  a  pock-mark  has  the  beauty  of  a  dimple',"  he 
quoted.  "I  do  not  know  that  I  should  encourage  you  in  this  affair, 
Taro;  still,  young  men  must  have  their  day.  I  remember  in  my 
time  a  very  famous  beauty  at  the  Sign  of  the — " 

"Uncle,"  interrupted  Taro  again,  solemnly,  "I  want  you  to  come 
with  me  and  see  Ikeda's  daughter  with  your  own  eyes." 

"I !"  exclaimed  Goto,  sitting  up  in  his  surprise.  "By  Uji-no-mita- 
ma,  the  boy  is  mad !  It  would  hardly  be  advisable  for  a  personage 
of  my  importance  to  be  seen  attending  a  house  of  the  'Flower 
Quarter.'  'The  elephant  does  not  walk  abroad  unobserved'." 

"You  might  so  becloak  yourself  that  no  one  would  know  whom 
you  were,"  suggested  Taro. 

Goto  shook  his  head. 

'"The  lion  deprived  of  his  mane  has  still  his  roar',"  he  objected. 
"Considering  my  prominent  position,  I  fear  it  would  not  be  wise, 
nephew." 

"We  could  take  'rickshas,  beneath  the  hoods  of  which  we  would 
be  unobserved,"  continued  Taro,  "and,  upon  arriving  at  The  Jew- 
el River,  enter  by  a  private  way  so  that  none  need  know  that  Gen- 
eral Baron  Goto  of  the  Imperial  Army  was  a  visitor  to  the  Yoshi- 
wara." 

"And,  pray,"  asked  Goto,  somewhat  ponderously,  "what  sort  of 
a  figure  would  General  Baron  Goto  of  the  Imperial  Army  resem- 
ble muffled  up  to  his  eyes  and  sneaking  into  a  Yoshiwara  house  by 
the  back  way?  'Fuji  disrobed  of  its  crest  would  lose  its  majesty'." 

"But,  uncle,"  persisted  Taro,  all  those  details  can  be  arranged 
without  causing  you  either  loss  of  dignity  or  annoyance.  Besides, 
think  how  seldom  we  are,  or  can  be,  together  nowadays.  Surely 
you  will  not  refuse  me  this  small  boon?" 

Goto  pondered  a  moment. 

"'The  dam  must  often  cross  unsound  ground  to  follow  the  colt'," 
he  mused.  "Well,  well,  nephew,  perhaps  you  are  right.  The  'pleas- 
ure of  recalling  kindly  acts  robs  parting  of  much  of  its  sting.'  By 
Uji-no-mitama !  I  am  getting  to  be  an  old  fellow.  You  say  take 


THE   OLD    FAMILIAR   JUICE  145 

'rickshas  to  this  Jewel  River?  Ha-ha!  in  my  day  we  young  men 
used  to  ride  thither  on  white  horses — but,  times  are  changed, 
times  are  changed.  Yet,  with  a  good  bottle  of  wine  and  a  pretty 
woman,  who  knows  but  that  I  might  grow  young  again,  nephew  ?" 


VIII 

POTTER  AND  POTS 


Whereat  some  one  of  the  loquacious  Lot — 
/  think  a  Sufi  pipkin — waxing  hot — 

"All  this  of  Pot  and  Potter— Tell  me  then, 
Who  is  the  Potter,  pray,  and  who  the  Pot?"— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

I  HE  two  houses  of  The  Jewel  River  fronted  on  the  Nightless 
Street,  being  bounded  on  the  one  side  by  a  smaller  thoroughfare 
known  as  the  Street  of  the  Sorrow-Love,  and  at  the  back  by  an 
alley  from  which  a  rarely-used  exit  led  to  the  rear  of  the  brothels. 
By  this  back  entrance  Taro  conducted  his  uncle,  Baron  Goto,  into 


POTTER  AND  POTS  147 

The  Jewel  River  the  following  night,  and  on  up  the  rear  stairway 
to  the  story  above,  where  a  dinner  room  was  reserved  for  them. 
From  just  beyond  this  room  a  bridge — the  Bridge  of  Love — 
spanned  the  small  gardened  courtyard  between  the  two  houses, 
and  led  to  the  balcony  opposite.  Mainly  the  rooms  looking  out  on 
this  belonged  to  the  oiiran,  but  the  two  rooms  nearest  the  back 
stairway  had  been  allotted  to  Saburo  Ikeda  and  Ren-ko. 

To  Taro's  impatient  chagrin,  Breath  of  Mukojima  was  late  in 
making  her  appearance  on  this  occasion.  Grown  impatient,  he  at 
last  arose  and  slid  the  shoji,  when,  to  his  surprise,  he  saw  her, 
preceded  by  two  elderly  men,  leaving  her  room  across  the  bridge. 
He  drew  his  uncle's  attention  to  this,  whereupon  Goto  suddenly 
exclaimed — 

"By  Uji-no-mitama!  if  that  is  not  Watanabe  and  Nakamura!  I 
had  heard  they  were  both  impoverished  since  the  Restoration  and 
supporting  themselves  somewhere  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  by 
the  cultivation  of  flowers." 

"Who  are  they?"  queried  Taro,  in  no  very  good  humor  at  Ren- 
ko's  delay. 

"Old  daimios  of  the  Tokugawa  days,"  exclaimed  Goto.  "I  knew 
them  both  personally." 

"They  must  be  doing  a  thriving  trade  with  flowers  to  be  able  to 
afford  geisha,"  observed  Taro,  ironically. 

Before  Goto  could  make  further  comment  Ren-ko  entered,  dis- 
pelling by  her  wit  and  beauty  Taro's  ill  temper.  Thereafter  the 
dinner  progressed  favorably  to  its  conclusion,  Goto  on  their  way 
home  expressing  himself  to  Taro  as  greatly  taken  with  the  latter's 
inamorata. 

In  the  meanwhile  Ikeda's  conspiracy  had  been  gathering  way 
to  the  satisfaction  of  those  concerned,  particularly  Tanaka,  who, 
while  not  one  of  the  plotters,  had,  nevertheless,  an  acute  interest 
in  the  furthering  of  the  scheme.  Watching  the  constantly  increas- 
ing stream  of  former  Shogunate  partisans  to  his  house,  he  con- 
gratulated himself  not  a  little  on  his  astuteness  in  deciding  to  loan 
Ikeda  the  yen  one  thousand,  for,  whichever  way  affairs  should 
ultimately  turn  out,  he  would  be  a  heavy  gainer.  Even  should  Ike- 
da  untimely  fail,  Tanaka,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  contract, 


148  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

would  be  the  proprietor,  body  and  soul,  of  Ren-ko,  whose  fame 
had  already  served  as  a  drawing  card  to  The  Jewel  River.  Tana- 
ka  reckoned  that  not  a  few  thousand  yen  would  swell  his  profits 
before  her  meager  percentage  would  be  sufficiently  accumulated 
to  liquidate  her  father's  original  indebtedness  to  him.  Therefore 
he  was  well  satisfied  with  the  continuance  of  affairs  as  they  stood. 

Ikeda,  on  the  other  hand,  was  consumed  with  a  feverish  anxiety 
to  force  the  final  issue.  But  three  months  of  the  stipulated  time 
toward  the  repayment  of  the  loan  remained,  and  meanwhile  there 
was  a  world  of  detail  to  be  accomplished.  True,  his  hopes  regard- 
ing Saito  had  materialized,  yet,  despite  all  his  scheming  and  run- 
ning hither  and  thither,  the  culmination  of  the  plotting  progressed 
with  maddening  tardiness — and  there  was  always  the  daily  danger 
of  discovery. 

Saito,  having  arranged  his  samurai  in  Satsuma  to  his  liking,  de- 
cided to  remain  in  Tokyo,  rendering  necessary  assistance  to  Ike- 
da,  but  to  Ren-ko,  more  than  any  of  the  others,  was  due  credit  for 
the  daily  addition  of  fresh  names  to  the  document  prepared  by 
Ikeda — a  document  simply  stating : 

We  do  swear  to  accomplish  the  liberation  of  our  Japan  of  the 
gods  from  its  ''Foreign"  yoke ;  to  assist  Saburo  Ikeda,  in  which 
we  pledge  our  souls,  our  swords,  our  wealth  and  our  lives. 

Now  most  of  the  intending  signers  of  this  had  tried  conclusions 
with  the  Imperialists  in  the  era  of  Meiji,  and  were  more  than 
convinced  that  any  demonstration  against  the  existing  govern- 
ment would,  at  the  present  at  all  events,  prove  anything  but  a  suc- 
cess. Furthermore,  one  and  all  had  a  deeply  ingrained  reverence 
for  the  Mikado,  who  was  the  focusing  point  of  the  state  spiritual 
as  well  as  the  state  temporal.  These  facts  rendered  many  disin- 
clined to  contemplate  again  drawing  their  swords  against  the 
cause  of  the  son  of  the  son  of  the  god,  and  herein  Ren-ko  became 
invaluable,  for  whatever  were  the  means  she  employed,  or  powers 
of  suasion  she  used,  it  is  certain  that  no  known  one  of  the  many 
fish  brought  to  her  feet,  by  her  father  and  Saito,  escaped  without 
adding  their  names  to  the  other  signatures  and  seals  upon  the  doc- 
ument entrusted  to  her  keeping. 


POTTER  AND  POTS  149 

The  day  following  the  little  dinner  given  by  Taro  to  his  uncle, 
the  former  again  sought  The  Jewel  River  in  quest  of  Ren-ko,  and 
was  again  kept  waiting,  this  time  by  a  handsome  soldierly  man, 
of  distinguished  presence  and  dress,  who,  having  left  Ren-ko's 
apartment  with  her  father — so  Taro  observed  through  a  small 
opening  in  the  shoji  of  his  room — turned  back  for  further  conver- 
sation with  her.  Something  in  his  manner  and  her  actions  an- 
noyed Taro,  and  he  determined  to  find  out  the  name  of  this  un- 
known rival  and  his  connection  with  Breath  of  Mukojima. 

The  next  day  had  been  set  apart  by  both  Goto  and  Taro  to  ful- 
fill a  dinner  engagement  with  Lord  Yo-Ake  at  Shima  Castle,  and 
afterwards  to  call  upon  Tokiyori  and  Kiku-ko  at  the  besso  near- 
by. Arranging  to  meet  his  uncle  at  Shima,  Taro  took  'ricksha 
thither,  arriving  at  the  castle  before  his  uncle.  The  marquis  was  a 
charming  host,  attentive,  courtly  and  most  catholic  in  his  conver- 
sational topics,  and  few  men  had  mastered  the  art  of  listening  to 
better  purpose  than  he.  Led  to  the  subject  by  his  host,  Taro 
launched  into  the  question  of  his  enterprise,  drifting  from  thence 
to  a  detailed  description  of  his  own  life  in  San  Francisco  prior  to 
his  present  home  coming.  In  this  he  became  so  engrossed  that  he 
absorbed  the  entire  conversation. 

The  marquis  asked  him  about  Midzu-hara,  Mata's  stepson, 
whom  he  had  dispatched  to  America  with  introductory  letters  to 
Taro,  and  was  pleased  to  learn  much  in  detail  of  the  lad's  new 
life. 

"I  determined  from  the  first,"  said  Taro,  "that  your  lordship's 
protege  should  be  put  in  the  way  of  profiting  by  my  experience. 
When  I  first  became  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  I  discovered 
that  the  yen  one  thousand  given  me  by  my  uncle,  while  it  would 
have  more  than  sufficed  for  my  wants  here,  was  inadequate  to 
maintaining  me  in  a  similar  position  for  any  length  of  time  in  the 
United  States.  Therefore  I  determined  to  undertake  some  definite 
occupation  that  would  also  afford  me  an  opportunity  of  learning 
the  language  and  customs  of  the  people.  Yet,  because  of  my  utter 
ignorance  of  the  English  tongue  and  lack  of  knowledge  concern- 
ing any  trade  or  business,  I  was  left  with  a  very  narrow  field  from 
which  to  choose.  Eventually  I  decided  to  become  a  house  servant, 


I5O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

engaging  my  services  in  that  capacity  as  against  my  board  and 
lodging.  Gradually,  however,  as  I  became  more  proficient  and  bet- 
ter acquainted  with  the  language,  I  was  enabled  to  ask  added  re- 
muneration for  my  services." 

"It  speaks  very  well  for  you,  Mr.  Taro  Goto,"  commented  the 
marquis,  "that  you  did  not  permit  your  occupation  to  interfere 
with  your  studies." 

"That  would  have  been  hardly  possible  in  any  case,"  responded 
Taro,  smiling.  "The  lady  with  whom  I  was  domiciled  took  a  most 
kindly  interest  in  the  forlorn  young  Japanese,  even  somewhat  neg- 
lecting her  own  children  to  afford  me  hours  of  instruction  in  her 
language — hours  that  I  turned  to  the  best  and  quickest  possible 
profit,  so  that  I  was  shortly  in  a  position  to  leave  her  service  and 
seek  similar  work  where  I  would  have  greater  opportunities  of 
study.  Following  out  this  method  of  procedure,  I  passed  from  one 
household  to  another,  until  finally  I  became  valet  to  a  general  offi- 
cer commanding  the  United  States  troops  at  the  Presidio,  or  mil- 
itary depot,  in  San  Francisco,  in  which  latter  service  I  was  en- 
abled to  learn  much  of  importance  concerning  coast  fortifications 
there  and  subjects  of  like  interest.  Of  course  I  was  careful  in  this 
situation  to  conceal  my  now  thoroughly  acquired  perfection  in  the 
language,  so  that  because  of  my  supposed  ignorance  I  gained  much 
information  on  many  strategic  subjects  of  guarded  secrecy. 

"Profiting  by  this,"  continued  Taro,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "I 
arranged,  immediately  upon  Midzuhara's  arrival  bearing  creden- 
tials from  you,  to  install  him  as  body  servant  to  a  naval  officer 
stationed  at  Mare  Island,  the  Pacific  naval  base  of  the  United 
States,  being  influenced  to  this  particular  choice  of  situation  be- 
cause I  gathered  from  your  lordship's  letter  that  you  intended 
him  ultimately  for  a  naval  career.  His  duties  are  light,  and  if  he 
exercises  his  ingenuity  he  will  be  able  to  pick  up  much  valuable 
knowledge." 

"And  were  no  suspicions  aroused  as  to  your  proper  sphere  in 
li  fe?"  asked  Lord  Yo-Ake. 

"None,"  smiled  Taro,  "for  my  cue  was  not  to  talk,  but  listen. 
My  masters  could  not  know  whether  I  was  coolie  or  noble." 
At  this  juncture  the  baron  arrived,  and  while  awaiting  the  an- 


POTTER  AND  POTS  151 

nouncement  of  dinner,  proceeded  to  entertain  his  host  with  an  ac- 
count of  Taro's  affair  at  The  Jewel  River. 

'"As  the  swallow  passes  the  nest,  the  parent  birds  fail  to  recog- 
nize him  as  the  fledgling  of  the  spring',"  he  quoted  to  Lord  Yo- 
Ake,  with  a  mischievous  glance  at  his  nephew.  "Taro  has  returned 
to  me  so  full  of  worldly  knowledge  and  wisdom  that  I  dare  scarce 
refer  to  myself  as  his  uncle." 

"He  is,  indeed,  a  young  gentleman  of  whom  much  may  be 
hoped,"  replied  the  marquis.  "It  seems  regrettable  that  having 
again  found  him,  as  it  were,  you  must  so  soon  lose  him,  for  I  am 
given  to  understand  that  Mr.  Taro  contemplates  an  early  return 
to  America." 

"That  remains  to  be  seen,"  rejoined  Goto,  with  a  merry  twinkle. 
'The  magnet  in  a  woman's  eye  can  sometimes  anchor  the  most 
quick  sailing  of  junks.'  The  hour  of  Taro's  departure  is  not  yet 
recorded  in  the  day  book  of  The  Jewel  River." 

He  laughed  jocosely,  and  the  marquis  raised  his  brows  in  polite 
inquiry,  while  Taro  grew  suddenly  red  and  uncomfortable. 

"Nonsense,  uncle,"  he  observed,  hastily.  "The  fact  of  a  casual 
visit  of  mine  to  the  'Flower  Quarter'  can  scarce  prove  a  topic  of 
much  interest  to  Lord  Yo-Ake." 

Goto  threw  his  head  back  and  chuckled  in  his  stentorian  tones. 
He  was  getting  huge  enjoyment  out  of  the  Yoshiwara  episode,  in 
his  simple  way. 

"Casual!"  he  guffawed.  "Casual?  Ho-ho-ho!" 

"Pray  let  us  hear  the  story,  if  Mr.  Taro  has  no  great  objection," 
adjured  the  marquis,  with  his  ever-courteous  solicitousness  con- 
cerning any  topic  of  apparent  interest  to  a  guest. 

"I  fear  your  lordship  will  find  this  one  of  but  small  entertain- 
ment," replied  Taro,  answering  for  his  uncle.  "The  facts  are  that 
I  chanced  one  evening  to  be  strolling  through  the  Yoshiwara,  and 
sought  a  neighboring  house — The  Jewel  River — for  dinner.  There 
I  was  entertained  by  a  geisha  so  witty  and  so  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful that  she  impressed  me.  Inquiry  elicited  the  information  that 
she  is  the  daughter  of  the  former  Lord  Ikeda,  whom  I  recalled  as 
a  one-time  acquaintance  of  my  uncle's.  The  geisha — Breath  of 
Mukojima — I  considered  so  well  worth  seeing  that  I  prevailed 
upon  my  uncle  to  accompany  me  thither. 


152  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Which  had  to  be  done  with  the  utmost  care,"  supplemented  Go- 
to. "The  lion's  nobility  would  suffer  were  he  caught  hunting 
among  rats.5  However,  Yo-Ake,  it  appears  that  my  boy  is  not  the 
only  victim  to  the  charms  of  Ikeda's  daughter — and  she  is,  I 
vouch,  quite  as  popular  as  beautiful — for  while  we  were  dining 
there  I  saw  old  Watanabe  and  Jiro  Nakamura  coming  from  what 
I  learned  were  her  rooms.  But  what  most  struck  me  was  how 
either  of  them — both,  I  know,  destitute  since  the  downfall  of 
Keiki  Tokugawa — could  afford  that  sort  of  thing." 

"The  folly  of  life  is  not  to  be  measured  by  its  age  apparently," 
rejoined  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "nor,  it  would  seem,  by  financial  consider- 
ations either.  Yet,  with  you,  Goto,  I  fail  to  understand  why  the 
impulses  of  youth  should  control  maturer  years.  Even  in  our 
younger  days  such  luxuries  as  visits  to  the  Yoshiwara  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  rarity  rather  than  otherwise,  and  generally  oc- 
curred— when  at  all — on  some  gala  occasion  subsequent  upon  the 
collections  of  our  semi-annual  rents.  But  proceed,  Mr.  Taro,  I 
beg  you." 

"There  is  very  little  more  to  confess,"  said  Taro,  his  mind  easier 
by  the  every-day  manner  in  which  his  host — of  whom  he  stood 
secretly  in  some  awe — had  received  the  intelligence  of  Goto's  lit- 
tle tale.  "I  chanced  to  dine  there  on  another  occasion,  when  I  ex- 
perienced a  tardiness  of  attention  by  the  geisha  Breath  of  Muko- 
jima.  Eventually  there  emerged  from  her  rooms  four  men,  one  of 
whom  I  recalled  as  the  former  Lord  Takeo  Mikuni,  a  one-time 
playmate,  and  the  second  of  whom  I  identified  as  Saburo  Ikeda. 
The  other  two  were  unknown  to  me,  but  one  of  them  must  be,  I 
judge,  on  terms  of  great  intimacy  with  Breath  of  Mukojima,  as 
he  left  his  companions  and  re-entered  her  rooms,  where  he  re- 
mained during  the  rest  of  my  stay  that  evening  at  The  Jewel 
River." 

"You  say  you  saw  Takeo  Mikuni  there?"  interpolated  Goto.  "I 
heard  he  had  fled  somewhere  to  the  south  after  the  Restoration, 
although  his  brother,  Fumiyo  Mikuni,  is  high  in  Imperial  favor  at 
present.  But  have  you  no  idea  as  to  who  is  your  rival,  Taro  ?" 

"None,  saving  that  he  was  a  soldierly  appearing  man  of  perhaps 
five-and-thirty,  or  forty  years  of  age,"  replied  Taro. 


POTTER  AND  POTS 


153 


"A  description  that  might  easily  be  applied  to  quite  a  number  of 
individuals/'  commented  the  marquis,  smiling.  "But  I  perceive 
our  repast  is  in  readiness  and  that  my  old  friend  the  baron  is 
growing  somewhat  impatient.  It  is  an  infallible  law  of  human  ex- 
istence, Mr.  Taro,  that  as  our  mentality  ages  in  wisdom,  our  ma- 
terial propoganda  grows  more  childlike,  and  requires  ever  more 
careful  nursing  and  attention." 


IX 


THE  GARDEN    S  HYACINTH 


/  sometimes  think  that  never  blows  so  red 
The  Rose  as  where  some  buried  Ccesar  bled; 
That  every  Hyacinth  the  Garden  wears 
Dropt  in  her  Lap  from  some  once  lovely  Head.—omn  KHAYYAM. 

I  HAT  afternoon  Saito  had  called  at  the  besso,  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  Tokiyori  had  lingered  to  chat  with  Kiku-ko.  After  a  few 
moments'  conversation,  he  relapsed  into  a  sort  of  moody  self-  ret- 
rospection, for  he  still  loved  her  as  ardently  as  he  had  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  night  in  the  wistaria  bower  at  Moto.  Finally,  Ki- 


THE  GARDEN    S  HYACINTH  155 

ku-ko  rallied  him  upon  his  preoccupation,  ascribing  it  to  love- 
lorness. 

"One  would  almost  think,"  said  she  in  a  spirit  of  banter,  "that 
you  had  become  enslaved  by  some  beautiful  creature  and  are  re- 
gretting every  minute  not  spent  in  her  presence." 

"That  is  true,"  he  answered,  moodily.  "The  gods  know  I  some- 
times wish  that  I  might  lose  my  reason  if  with  it  I  could  also  lose 
remembrance,  and  the  poignant  and  ever-present  sorrow  that  re- 
membrance brings." 

"Is  forgetting  so  difficult  a  matter?"  she  asked,  thoughtlessly, 
and  then,  realizing  almost  immediately  what  his  reference  meant, 
blushed  in  some  confusion. 

"It  is  not  difficult — it  is  impossible,"  he  replied.  "I  can  find  no 
surcease  in  work,  nor  could  I,  I  fear,  in  dissipation.  Those  two 
are,  I  believe,  the  established  substitutes  in  most  men's  lives  for 
disappointed  hopes.  To  me  they  are  unavailable.  Perhaps  the  gods 
have  cursed  me  with  an  over-imaginative  mind — I  know  not,  but 
that  I  can  not  for  one  moment  forget  our  love,  Kiku-ko,  each 
heart-beat  of  mine  reminds  me." 

"Heart  beats  are  but  the  ticking  of  time,"  said  she,  quietly. 
"Who  takes  account  of  the  tickings  that  are  past?" 

"If  there  were  no  past  tickings  how  could  there  be  present  or 
future  time?"  he  asked.  "If  there  were  no  dead,  where  would  be 
the  quick?  I  can  no  more  bury  the  memory  of  my  slain  love  than 
I  can  the  memory  of  my  ancestors.  If  it  were  not  for  both,  would 
I  be  myself?" 

"You  might  have  been  a  greater  you,"  she  hazarded ;  and  then, 
quickly,  "and  yet  not  that  either,  Saito.  I  would  not  in  my  wom- 
an's heart  have  you  other  than  you  are.  I  do  not  think  that  I, 
myself,  have  grown  calloused,  or  have  ever  forgotten  the  past — 
and  beautiful  Biwa  of  my  maiden  days.  Ah,  no ;  its  very  name  and 
what  it  stood  for  has  ever  a  lingering  trace  of  wistaria  about  it. 
Yet,  now,  life  has  lain  so  many  duties  upon  me  that  in  their  ful- 
fillment I  have  scant  time  for  other  thought.  I  know  what  you 
would  say,  but  it  is  so  with  a  woman,  Saito.  Love  is  her  whole  ex- 
istence— yet,  how  seldom  it  touches  her  with  a  tender  hand! 
Rather  it  builds  to  her  senses  an  ideal  impossible  of  attainment,  or 


156  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

else  an  architectural  shell,  hollow  as  it  is  beautiful.  Both  are  im- 
possible of  permanent  realization.  Happy  the  woman  who,  know- 
ing naught  other  of  life,  asks  of  it  but  its  duties  and  drudgery." 

"You  speak  but  for  the  woman,"  he  replied,  "yet  is  it  not  the 
same  with  the  man?  I,  also,  have  my  ideals — two — you  and  our 
Nippon.  On  these  my  star  of  life  is  set,  in  all  that  touches  them  is 
my  nature  lawless.  I  can  not  realize  one  waking  hour  of  peace 
when  both  are  not  entwined  before  my  eyes.  At  my  daily  practice 
of  sword  manual  I  am  striking  blows  but  for  both,  or,  guarding, 
I  seem  to  be  shielding  not  myself,  but  you  and  Nippon.  The  very 
embers  in  my  hibatchi,  as  I  sit  pondering  late  at  night,  form 
strange  pictures  of  what  might  be.  I  would  it  were  not  so ;  that  I 
could  be  as  are  other  men,  rinding  work  and  pleasure  to  absorb 
these  things ;  but,  as  I  may  not,  I  must  continue  on  in  this  re-in- 
carnation, cursed  by  the  gods,  an  ever-burning  lamp  to  light  an- 
other's ihai  in  the  shrine  of  love.  Was  ever  greater  sacrifice  de- 
manded ?" 

He  had  arisen,  when — as  will  happen  at  such  moments — an  in- 
terruption was  created  by  Aysia,  who  had  just  learned  that  her 
cousin  Saito  had  arrived. 

"Who  is  a  greater  sacrifice  ?"  she  demanded  in  her  quaint  child- 
ish way,  as  she  burst  into  the  room  on  the  last  word  of  her  cous- 
in's. 

"A  great  many  people,  little  cousin,"  he  replied.  "Those  who  can 
not  have  what  they  want,  for  instance.  And  those  who  have  what 
belongs  to  them  taken  from  them." 

"Then  I  am  a  very  great  sacrifice,"  rejoined  Aysia.  "Because 
nurse  never  lets  me  have  many  sweeties — unless  grandfather  Yo- 
Ake  tells  her  to,"  she  added,  with  candor. 

"Her  grandfather  spoils  Aysia  with  his  indulgences,"  explained 
Kiku-ko,  plaintively. 

"Somewhat  of  a  new  role  for  Lord  Yo-Ake  to  be  assuming," 
Saito  answered,  ironically. 

Aysia's  mind — that  had  in  it  a  suggestion  of  the  perambulation 
and  tenacity  of  her  grandfather's — again  reverted  to  the  original 
question. 

"Who  is  a  greater  sacrifice  ?"  she  repeated,  and  Saito,  puzzled  as 
to  how  to  answer  her  question,  replied  haphazardly : 


THE  GARDEN   S  HYACINTH  157 

"Why,  little  Shiny  Locks,  of  course." 

Aysia  promptly  settled  herself  upon  a  cushion  close  to  her 
mother. 

"Tell  me,"  she  said  in  a  voice  half  of  entreaty,  half  of  command, 
"Who  is  little  Shiny  Locks?" 

Saito,  with  a  whimsical  look  at  Kiku-ko,  complied. 

"Little  Shiny  Locks,"  he  explained,  "why  she  was  a  very  good 
little  girl  who  once  lived  in  beautiful  old  Japan,  and  had  a  lovely 
dolly.  One  day  the  dolly  got  broken,  so  Shiny  Locks  cried,  and 
she  cried,  and  she  cried  so  hard  that  by  and  by  her  shiny  black 
locks  became  all  damp  with  the  dew  of  her  tears,  and  refused  to 
be  shiny  any  longer. 

"While  she  was  crying  thus,  there  passed  a  great  samurai  called 
Mighty  Sword,  and  seeing  her  tears  flow  so  fast,  he  asked  Shiny 
Locks  what  he  could  do  for  her.' 

"'I  have  broken  my  dolly,'  wailed  little  Shiny  Locks,  'and  have 
cried  so  hard  that  my  locks  are  no  longer  shiny.' 
"'Well,  well,'  answered  Mighty  Sword,  'I  think  I  might  mend 
your  dolly  for  you  if  that  will  dry  your  tears.' 

"Now  Mighty  Sword  was  so  strong  and  skillful  that  he  soon  had 
Shiny  Locks'  dolly  all  mended,  and  more  beautiful  than  ever. 
"'Now,'  said  Shiny  Locks,  'I  am  sure  that  my  dolly  loves  you 
very  much,  Mighty  Sword.  You  must  go  on  to  the  wars,  but  when 
you  return  she  will  be  waiting  for  you,  and  will  marry  you/ 

"So  she  said  sayonara  to  him,  and  Mighty  Sword  went  on  his  way 
with  the  promise  of  Shiny  Locks  in  his  heart,  and  his  big  sword 
by  his  side." 

Saito  paused  a  moment  to  decide  how  to  end  his  story,  and  then 
went  on : 

"Now  Shiny  Locks  had  two  old  parents,  who  were  also  very 
poor,  and  when  they  saw  how  beautiful  was  the  dolly  that  Mighty 
Sword  had  mended,  they  said  to  little  Shiny  Locks : 
"'Shiny  Locks,you  must  take  your  dolly  to  the  toy-maker's  booth, 
where  you  may  sell  it  for  a  good  price.' 

"Little  Shiny  Locks  broke  out  into  tears  once  more,  and  hugged 
her  dolly  to  her  breast. 
"  'Why  must  I  sell  my  dolly  ?'  she  asked. 


158  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"'Because  your  parents  are  hungry,'  said  they,  'and  all  good  lit- 
tle girls  will  do  what  they  ought  for  their  hungry  parents.' 
"'But  my  dolly  is  going  to  grow  up,'  objected  Shiny  Locks,  'and 
marry  Mighty  Sword,  the  big  samurai !' 

"'Perhaps,'  answered  her  parents,  'but  now  we  are  hungry  and 
must  be  fed.' 

"So  little  Shiny  Locks,"  concluded  Saito,  "took  her  dolly  like  an 
obedient  little  girl,  and  sold  it  at  the  toy-maker's  booth,  and  when 
Mighty  Sword  returned  from  the  wars  to  claim  his  bride,  he 
found  that  she  had  been  sold  to  the  toy-maker's  booth,  so  that  he 
would  never  see  her  any  more." 

"What  did  Mighty  Sword  do?"  asked  Aysia. 

"Mighty  Sword,"  replied  Saito,  "was  so  grieved  when  he  learned 
of  this  that  he  went  away  and  killed  himself." 

"And  that  is  sacrifice  ?"  she  asked,  pensively. 

"Yes — two,"  answered  Saito. 
Aysia  had  an  objection  to  offer — valid  to  her  young  mind. 

"Why  didn't  Shiny  Locks'  parents  sell  something  of  their  own?" 
she  queried. 

"Quite  right,  my  little  daughter,"  answered  a  third  voice,  and  all 
glancing  about  were  aware  of  the  presence  of  Tokiyori.  Aysia, 
jumping  up  quickly,  ran  to  her  father,  while  Lord  Saito  bowed 
gravely  to  his  host. 

"I  am  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity  of  paying  my  respects  to  you," 
said  he,  "although  regretful  to  have  displeased  you  by  the  little 
story  with  which  I  was  seeking  to  amuse  Aysia  before  taking  my 
departure." 

"Pray  pardon  my  abruptness,"  answered  Tokiyori,  courteously, 
advancing  into  the  room  with  his  slightly  limping  walk.  "It  was 
not  the  story  itself  I  objected  to,  I  assure  you,  nor  the  manner  of 
its  telling,  but  the  unfortunate  practice  of  our  national  life  which 
it  symbolizes." 

"I  had  not  the  slightest  thought  of  such  a  possible  interpreta- 
tion," said  Saito. 

"I  quite  believe  that,"  rejoined  Tokiyori.  "Yet  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  human  mind  are  unfathomable,  and  how  seldom  do 
our  thoughts,  materialized  by  words,  convey  an  exact  and  un- 
warped  translation.  But  permit  me  to  assure  you  of  the  pleasure 


THE  GARDEN'S  HYACINTH  159 

both  my  wife  and  myself  derive  from  a  visit  from  our  kinsman.  I 
trust  this  will  be  but  the  first  of  many.  I  need  not  speak  for  Ay- 
sia,"  he  concluded,  smiling  as  his  little  daughter  thrust  her  hand 
into  that  of  her  cousin's,  "for  I  perceive  she  has  found  an  expres- 
sion of  affectionate  welcome  far  more  potent  than  mere  words." 
Saito  patted  Aysia's  little  head. 

"It  is  a  reciprocal  attachment,"  said  he. 
Tokiyori  turned  to  Kiku-ko. 

"Would  you  be  kind  enough  to  see  that  your  cousin  and  myself 
are  served  with  tea  and  smoking  materials?"  he  requested.  "I 
trust  you  intend  affording  us  the  pleasure  of  your  company  at  our 
simple  evening  meal,"  he  added  to  Saito  as  Kiku-ko  left  the  room 
to  attend  the  wants  of  her  husband  and  guest. 

"You  are  most  kind,"  replied  Saito  to  his  host,  "but  I  regret  my 
inability  to  encroach  further  upon  your  hospitality.  My  short 
stay  in  Tokyo  is  limited  mostly  to  the  transaction  of  business,  and 
I  fear  that  I  have  somewhat  neglected  that  this  afternoon  and 
trespassed  unduly  upon  my  cousin's  time  by  my  already  prolonged 
call." 

"That  is  a  somewhat  one-sided  view  of  the  matter,"  answered 
Tokiyori,  with  his  expressive  smile.  "I  doubt  that  Kiku-ko  could 
be  induced  to  voice  similar  sentiments — ah,  she  has  returned  to 
speak  for  herself,"  he  added,  as  Kiku-ko,  followed  by  a  servant, 
re-entered  the  room.  "Your  kinsman,  my  dear,  was  in  the  act  of 
apologizing  for  what  he  choses  to  term  the  infliction  of  his  com- 
pany upon  your  leisure,  an  infliction  that — I  have  taken  upon  my- 
self to  assure  him — like  historic  facts,  finds  its  happiest  expres- 
sion in  repetition." 

"It  is  said  that  the  matsuri  of  Hina  (the  Doll's  Festival)  has  no 
more  ardent  votaries  than  childless  women,"  said  Kiku-ko.  "My 
delight  in  the  western  country  of  my  birth  is  confined  now  to  my 
hearing  of  it  from  the  lips  of  my  cousin  Saito." 

"The  west  is  the  only  Hina  country  left  in  Nippon,  I  fear,"  ob- 
served Saito,  as  he  finished  his  tea  and  prepared  for  departure. 
"Our  dolls  are  bruised  and  broken,  our  idols  are  gone,  our  faith 
and  honor  destroyed,  and  even  the  flowers  of  our  gardens  are  but 
what  have  dropped  from  the  heads  of  our  goddesses  and  taken  a 
poor,  second  root.  Sayonara." 


•".***.   "^ 

..« *,  •«•*   .-•' ;  '•  V.  . 


,  ••  A^      %    :>  'f.'jar  ' 

..-:*te/^\>H..^Ci*-?^l&    •'"'-' .-ft    Hi/- 


,"-^V    ^•-"-      $^*?H.  "5^r-    --/;^   ^;- 


IN   THE   HOUSE   OF  THE   POTTER 


/4.y  wnrf^r  co^^r  of  departing  Day 
Slunk  hunger-stricken  Ramazdn  away, 

Once  more  within  the  Potter's  house  alone 
I  stood,  surrounded  by  the  Shapes  of  Clay.  — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

As  SAITO  left  the  besso,  Lord  Yo-Ake,  accompanied  by  Baron 
Goto  and  Taro,  was  strolling  thither  in  accordance  with  the  prom- 
ised visit  to  Tokiyori  and  Kiku-ko.  It  was  still  light,  despite  the 
setting  of  the  wintry  sun,  and  the  virgin  snow  lay  like  a  woolly 
carpet  upon  copse,  castle  and  glades,  saving  where  newly  trampled 


IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  POTTER  l6l 

by  the  feet  of  'ricksha  runners.  Suddenly,  as  the  trio  approached 
toward  the  small  gateway,  a  figure  emerged  therefrom  and  en- 
tered a  waiting  'ricksha,  which  immediately  set  off  at  a  sharp  pace 
in  the  direction  of  the  city.  Passing  closely  enough  for  discern- 
ment, the  occupant  saluted  the  pedestrians,  Goto  and  the  marquis 
returning  his  bow. 

"By  Uji-no-mitama !"  ejaculated  Goto,  "if  it  is  not  Saito !  I  heard 
that  he  was  permanently  residing  in  Satsuma.  I  had  no  idea  that 
he  was  in  Tokyo." 

"The  material  evidences  appear  against  such  a  supposition," 
smiled  Lord  Yo-Ake.  "He  is  not  only  in  Tokyo — unless  our  senses 
deceive  us — but  had  we  finished  our  meal  a  few  moments  sooner, 
or  not  lingered  to  hear  Mr.  Taro's  last  tale  of  the  decline  of  Amer- 
ican shipping  interests,  we  should  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
greeting  an  old  friend  in  the  flesh.  Personally,  I  am  glad  not  to 
have  missed  your  story,  Mr.  Taro.  I  trust,"  he  added,  laughingly, 
to  Goto,  "that  Saito  has  not  again  taken  the  occasion  of  your  ab- 
sence to  devour  some  favorite  dish  of  yours,  as — if  my  memory 
serves  me  correctly — he  did  some  ten  years  ago  at  Otsu  ?" 

Goto  drew  his  brows  together  at  the  mention  of  this,  for — triv- 
ially absurd  as  it  undoubtedly  was — it  preserved  somewhat  of  a 
breach  between  himself  and  Saito. 

"You  may  jest  about  that,  Yo-Ake,  if  it  pleases  you,"  he  ob- 
served with  severity,  "but  I  tell  you  I  place  not  overmuch  confi- 
dence in  one  who  tampers  lightly  with  others  private  concerns. 
Such  a  person  is  apt  to  have  two  distinct  sides  to  his  character, 
and  when  I  was  a  young  man  they  used  to  have  a  saying  in  the 
Yoshiwara  that  'one  should  look  at  the  lanterns  from  behind,  and 
the  geisha  in  front'." 

Taro  during  this  conversation  had  been  watching  the  retreating 
form  in  the  'ricksha. 

"Whom  did  you  say  that  gentleman  is?"  he  inquired  of  his  uncle. 

"He?"  said  Goto.  "That  is  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma.  You  must  re- 
call his  name,  nephew  ?" 

"Saito  of  Satsuma!"  exclaimed  Taro.  "Why  that  is  the  fellow 
whom  I  saw  with  Ikeda  and  Mikuni  at  The  Jewel  River,  and  who 
by  his  devotions  to  Breath  of  Mukojima  deprived  me  of  her  com- 
pany at  my  last  visit  there." 


l62  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Goto  burst  into  a  great  roar  of  laughter  at  what  he  considered 
a  very  good  joke  at  the  expense  of  his  nephew,  but  the  marquis — 
with  apparent  indifference — put  one  or  two  questions,  regarding 
The  Jewel  River  premises  and  its  character,  to  Taro,  until  finally 
they  entered  the  besso. 

Here,  after  a  short  call,  the  baron  and  Taro  departed  in  their 
'rickshas  for  Tokyo,  while  the  marquis,  refusing  the  proffered  aid 
of  his  son,  retraced  his  steps — thinking  deeply — toward  the  castle 
under  the  cold  unfeeling  light  of  the  thin  January  moon  that  had 
just  begun  to  show  its  rim  above  the  Shiba  trees.  The  recent  in- 
formation regarding  Saito's  hitherto  unknown  familiarity  with 
Ikeda  and  his  daughter  at  The  Jewel  River  troubled  him.  When, 
added  to  this,  he  recalled  what  Goto  and  Taro  had  told  him  con- 
cerning the  visits  of  several  other  ruined  Tokugawa  daimios  in 
company  with  Ikeda,  he  felt  that  something  of  a  serious  nature 
might  be  afoot.  Many  plottings  and  counter  plottings  were  in  the 
hatching  just  then,  and  he  conceived  that  he  had  possibly  stum- 
bled on  one  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  he  was  not  deceived, 
as  had  been  Taro,  by  the  tale  of  Saito's  devotions  to  Breath  of 
Mukojima,  nor  did  he  credit  that  Ikeda  would  have  sacrificed  his 
daughter  to  the  life  of  the  Yoshiwara  for  any  lesser  cause.  The 
fact  of  Saito's  probable  connection  with  a  possible  conspiracy  was 
in  itself  a  matter  of  great  menace,  for — as  was  well  known — Sai- 
to's name  and  prestige  stood  high  in  favor  with  all  classes.  But 
from  the  news  that  such  former  daimios  as  Mikuni  were  also  ap- 
parently linking  their  names  with  Ikeda's,  Lord  Yo-Ake  gathered 
his  greatest  source  of  anxiety,  because  Mikuni,  as  an  example, 
had  powerful  connections  in  the  present  government,  and  it  ap- 
peared to  the  marquis  that  Ikeda  was  consummating  a  carefully 
laid  out  plan  to  honeycomb  all  ranks  and  classes  of  society. 

Pondering  on  this,  the  marquis  reached  the  O-mon,  or  great 
gateway,  of  his  castle,  which  swung  open  to  admit  him.  He  paused 
a  moment  under  its  entrance  and  looked  back  at  the  pallid  moon 
that  had  now  cleared  the  tree  tops  of  the  woodland's  verdure.  He 
had  aged  with  increasing  rapidity  of  late  years,  so  that  it  had  be- 
come necessary  for  him  to  employ  the  aid  of  a  walking  stick,  and 
his  features  were  deeply  furrowed  with  lines  of  thought  and  care. 


IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  POTTER  163 

The  snow  on  the  roadway  lay  as  silvery  and  fleecy  as  a  winding 
shroud  to  enfold  the  deathlike  stillness  of  Shiba — and  the  silver 
in  his  raven  hair  had  turned  as  spotless  as  the  untrodden  snow.  Of 
his  earlier  manhood  remained  to  him  but  the  brightness  of  eye — 
set  in  his  aristocratic,  thin,  ascetic  countenance,  and  the  keenness 
of  his  untiring,  seemingly  unconquerable  intellect.  He  raised  his 
face  to  gaze  calmly  into  the  depths  of  the  moon,  and  it  seemed  to 
the  gateman,  who  stood  awaiting  his  entrance  in  respectful  atti- 
tude, as  though  it  were  the  visualized  visage  of  some  earth-de- 
scended god — some  immortalized  being — for  such  had  almost  be- 
come Asano  Yo-Ake. 

As  he  stood  in  thought  under  the  great  gateway  of  his  ancient, 
mighty  fortalice,  his  lips  moved  silently,  while  the  aureola  of  his 
working  mind  could  almost  be  sensed  by  the  half-awed  gatekeep- 
er. A  shadow  from  some  unseen  cloud  touched  for  a  moment  the 
edges  of  the  great  listless  reflection  in  the  skies,  and  it  seemed  to 
Lord  Yo-Ake  like  the  passing  of  a  foreboding  presage  across  the 
clarity  of  his  country. 

"The  moon  is  a  mirror  that  registers  the  night's  good  or  ill  with 
a  faultless  veracity,"  he  mused,  "and  in  its  perfect  reflection  upon 
the  surface  of  some  night-lake  may  be  discerned  the  silhouette  of 
the  man  in  the  gliding  boat,  though  they  may  not  be  visible  be- 
cause of  the  obscuring  shadows.  It  mirrors  the  palace  of  the  em- 
peror, and  it  mirrors  the  brothel  of  the  Nightless  City  tonight. 
Which  may  it  mirror  in  the  thousands  of  nights  to  come?  The 
visage  of  the  Son  of  the  Son  of  the  God,  or  the  visage  of  Saburo 
Ikeda  and  his  Yoshiwara  dupes?  Is  our  future  emblem  to  be  the 
sixteen-petaled  chrysanthemum,  or  the  soiled  buddings  of  the 
'Flower  Quarter?'  I  wonder." 

He  turned  to  enter,  and  it  seemed  to  the  gateman  that  his  lord 
had  grown  suddenly  enfeebled,  so  that  he  was  minded  to  proffer 
him  escort  to  the  yashiki. 

"The  night  is  very  cold,  my  lord,"  said  he,  shivering  slightly. 

"The  night  of  the  shortening  days  is  always  cold,  keeper,"  an- 
swered the  ageing  man,  quietly;  "cold,  bitter  and — who  knows  if 
ever  ending?  Close  your  gates  and  seek  the  warmth  of  your  hibat- 
chi,  keeper ;  its  glow  will  be  your  kindliest  friend  in  the  chill  of 
the  night." 


164  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

He  moved  off  while  the  gateman  was  still  making  up  his  mind 
to  the  somewhat  unusual  liberty  of  proffering  his  personal  assist- 
ance to  his  lord,  while  the  former  stood  watching  the  bent  form 
leaning  heavily  upon  the  "Foreign"  cane,  until  the  tama-gaki  hid 
his  master  from  sight.  The  gateman  scratched  his  chin  thought- 
fully, then  he  looked  up  at  the  moon  a  second,  and  finally,  with  a 
perplexed  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  bolted  and  barred  the  O-mon. 

'There  are  eyes  that  see  best  in  the  darkness,"  he  observed  to 
himself,  "and  they  are  said  to  belong  to  birds  of  the  greatest  wis- 
dom." 

He  turned,  still  shaking  his  head,  and  entered  his  little  lodge 
nearby. 

In  the  meantime,  Lord  Yo-Ake  had  gained  his  house,  and  now 
sought  his  library,  which  of  late  had  become  the  room  most  used 
by  him.  A  servant  preceded  him,  lighting  the  tall  waxen  tapers 
and  andon,  and  then  solicitously  stirred  a  smouldering  hibatchi 
until  it  glowed  a  rich  red  with  its  contained  heat.  With  a  nod  of 
dismissal  to  the  man,  Lord  Yo-Ake  settled  himself  by  the  brazier, 
and  sinking  his  head  on  his  chest,  stared  into  the  heart  of  the 
burning  coals. 

"What  pitiful  ants  we  mortals  are,"  he  mused, "crawling  around, 
and  around,  and  around  in  one  ever-continuous  circle  about  some 
loud-mouthed  proselytor,  who  for  the  moment  finds  sufficient  un- 
probed  logic  to  convince  our  limited  senses  of  his  likeness  to  the 
image  of  truth.  Under  this  category  is  now,  it  appears,  to  be 
classed  Saburo  Ikeda,  and  yet  I  marvel  how  he  could  make  a  con- 
vert of  such  a  man  as  Saito  to  a  movement  that  must  inevitably,  in 
the  event  of  its  failure,  mean  disaster,  ruin  and  death.  What 
weirdsome  vessel  forms,  we  poor  humans  assume,  to  beguile  some 
passing  sake-porter  into  filling  our  cracked  and  leaking  bowls,  a 
little  moment,  with  life's  liquor !" 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  slightly  at  the  helpless  frailties  of 
mankind,  and  with  his  hypo-super-subtle  faculty  of  assuming  the 
workings  of  other  men's  minds,  proceeded  to  lay  bare  the  fabric 
of  Ikeda's  plot,  speaking  aloud  as  though  Ikeda  himself  were  pres- 
ent, and  he  but  criticising  certain  doubtful  features  toward  the 
outcome. 


IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  POTTER  165 

"Your  reasoning,  my  friend,"  said  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "is  wisdom 
personified — in  as  far  as  it  goes — yet  you  are  handicapped  by  the 
fact  that  your  mind  is  not  of  that  order  that  can  plan  to  do  a  great 
thing  for  the  sake  of  the  thing  itself,  but  leans  rather  to  the  schem- 
ing of  a  multiplicity  of  things  for  the  sake  of  yourself  alone. 
Thus,  having  converted  your  intellect  into  a  specie  of  mental  oven, 
you  have  created  yourself  a  political  potter,  and  in  this  role  have 
filled  that  limited  oven  to  overflowing  with  a  number  of  different 
vessels,  each  requiring  various  degrees  of  heat  to  bring  them  to 
perfection.  Yet,  Ikeda,  my  friend,  I  think  the  great  potter  at- 
tempts but  one  masterpiece  at  a  time." 

He  sighed,  as  though  at  the  unwisdom  of  Ikeda,  and  then  con- 
tinued. 

"If  then  we  humans  are  but  a  varied  assortment  of  pottery,  mark 
well  the  hand-craft  of  the  master  workman,  Ikeda,  my  friend.  He 
molds  his  pots  each  according  to  his  best  conception,  and  shapes 
them  as  he  intends  they  shall  appear  throughout  their  life  of  clay. 
Then  comes  the  time  when  he  realizes  that  each  of  his  creations 
must  stand  the  test  of  fire — it  is  the  crucial  time  in  the  lives  of 
these  poor  pots.  Anxiously  he  opens  the  oven  door  to  draw  them 
forth.  Some  are  so  beautiful  that  they  exceed  his  highest  hopes 
and  imaginings.  But,  alas !  some  are  utter  failures,  their  colors 
run,  their  glazing  splotched  and  foul.  Whose  is  the  fault.  The 
craftsman  worked  with  his  greatest  skill,  the  pots  were  but  the 
shapings  of  his  brain  and  fingers — until  the  test  of  fire.' 

"Now  comes  the  last  stage  in  the  lives  of  these  pots.  The  true 
return  the  craftsman  many  times  the  hours  of  his  labor,  but  for 
the  failures  remain  no  niche  in  the  ornamentation  of  life  which 
they  may  fill,  Ikeda,  my  friend." 

He  ceased  his  musings,  and  observing  that  the  hibatchi  was 
growing  cold,  took  up  the  small  irons  to  stir  it — then  he  paused, 
and  abstractedly  dropped  them  at  the  side  of  the  brazier. 

"I  am  an  old  man,  now,  whose  fast  thinning  blood,  each,  about- 
to-be,  imposed  sacrificial  act  turns  to  a  frozen  pool,  and  each  new 
day  now  but  brings  an  added  chill  of  loneliness.  Gods!  of  all 
whom  my  domains  has  housed  is  there  none  to  relieve  me  of  this 
strangling  desolation,  the  agony  of  my  thoughts?" 


l66  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

He  clapped  his  hands  thrice. 

"More  lights,"  he  ordered  of  the  servitor  who  entered.  "This 
apartment  is  scarce  less  gloomy  than  a  death-sealed  tomb.  Bring 
fresh  coals  for  my  hibatchi  and  dispatch  a  messenger  to  the  besso 
of  my  son,  the  count,  requesting  his  presence  here." 


XI 


THE  PORTERS  SHOULDER-KNOT 


So  while  the  Vessels  one  by  one  were  speaking, 
The  little  Moon  look'd  in  that  all  were  seeking: 

And  then  they  jogg'd  each  other,  "Brother!  Brother! 
Now  for  the  Porter's  shoulder-knot  a-creaking!" — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

AFTER  bidding  his  father  sayonara  at  the  entrance  to  the  besso, 
Tokiyori  re-entered,  seeking  again  the  room  where  Kiku-ko  still 
sat,  answering,  in  desultory  fashion,  Aysia's  stream  of  chatter. 
She  glanced  up  at  him  curiously  as  he  entered,  for  his  reproof  of 
Saito's  story  had  set  her  mind  working  in  a  new  channel,  and 
there  were  questions  she  desired  to  ask  of  her  husband. 


l68  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"I  am  rather  worried  about  father,"  he  observed,  as  he  took  his 
seat  by  the  hibatchi.  "It  seemed  to  me,  tonight,  that  he  had  sud- 
denly aged  very  much.  Perhaps  it  is  because  I  have  realized  it  for 
the  first  time.  Have  you  not  noticed  it,  Kiku-ko?" 

"No,"  she  replied,  "not  in  the  way  you  mention.  Of  course  we 
are  none  of  us  growing  any  younger,  and  doubtless  it  is  because 
the  daimio  has  recently  taken  to  a  walking-stick  that  he  seems  so 
much  older  to  you.  Yet  I  suppose  it  is  but  natural  after  all;  he 
must  be  nearly  three  score  of  years  in  age." 

"He  has  passed  his  sixty-second  birthday,"  answered  Tokiyori, 
"yet  mere  years  would  hardly  account  for  his  declining  appear- 
ance. I  fear  I  should  not  have  permitted  him  to  depart  homeward 
unaccompanied ;  yet  he  insisted." 

"I  would  not  worry  myself  so  greatly  were  I  you,"  enjoined  Ki- 
ku-ko. "Your  father  has  still  the  appearance  of  a  hale  man,  and 
his  faculties  seem  as  active  as  ever." 

"More  so,  I  should  say,"  he  replied.  "His  capacity  for  assimilat- 
ing all  sorts  of  knowledge  recently  is  little  short  of  marvelous.  I 
find  him  constantly  delving  in  the  classics  of  other  countries — 
their  philosophies,  economic  treatises,  poetry  and  history.  I  mar- 
vel how,  even  in  his  semi-retirement,  he  can  find  time  for  such  a 
voluminous  consumption  of  literature." 

"How  much  older  is  grandfather  than  you,  father?"  asked  Ay- 
sia. 

"About  five-and-twenty  years,"  replied  her  father,  smiling. 

"That's  a  whole  lot,"  announced  Aysia,  after  a  contemplation  of 
this,  to  her,  startling  fact.  "And  is  he  twenty-five  years  older  than 
mother,  too  ?" 

"Much  more,  dear,"  answered  her  father. 

"I  am  nine  years  of  age,"  observed  Aysia. 

She  remained  silent  some  little  time  after  this  announcement, 
while  her  father  and  mother  entered  into  a  discussion  of  the  events 
of  the  afternoon  and  evening.  Suddenly  Aysia  broke  out  with : 

"How  much  older  is  cousin  Saito  than  I,  father?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly,  Aysia,"  replied  her  father. 

"He  is  just  one  year  younger  than  you,"  said  Kiku-ko  to  her 
husband. 


THE  PORTER'S  SHOULDER-KNOT  169 

"Then  that  would  make  him  eight-and-thirty  years  of  age,"  ob- 
served Tokiyori.  "Why  are  you  so  anxious  concerning  people's 
ages,  Aysia  ?" 

"Because,"  replied  Aysia,  thoughtfully,  "I  was  wondering 
whether  cousin  Saito — if  he  wasn't  too  much  older  than  I — would 
marry  me  when  I  am  grown  up,  like  Mighty  Sword,  the  samurai, 
waited  for  little  Shiny  Locks'  dolly." 

"What  a  perambulating  mind  you  have,  child,"  remonstrated  her 
father.  "I  am  sure  it  is  much  past  your  bedtime.  Say  oyasumi  na- 
sai  to  mother  and  father,  and  run  along  to  your  nurse." 

Aysia,  despite  a  good  deal  of  petting,  and  the  over  indulging 
she  received  at  the  hands  of  her  grandfather,  stood  a  little  in  awe 
of  her  father.  She  arose  upon  his  bidding,  and  with  a  quaint  little 
bow,  quitted  the  apartment. 

"Why  do  you  so  object  to  that  simple  little  fairy  tale  that  Saito 
told  Aysia?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  chidingly,  ascribing  Aysia's  dismis- 
sal to  her  mention  of  it.  "The  child  thoroughly  enjoyed  it,  and  it 
is  a  harmless  enough  legend  of  old  Japan." 

"I  can  not  agree  with  you,"  he  answered.  "It  is  a  perfect  symbol- 
ism of  the  practice  of  selling  our  womenfolk  into  a  life  of  degra- 
dation." 

"It  is  a  recognized  right,  legalized  also  by  the  Diet  in  which  you 
sit,"  she  retorted.  "I  do  not  see  why  you  should  take  exception  to 
what  you  have  helped  inaugurate." 

"I  have  always  fought  the  legalizing  of  the  practice,"  he  ob- 
jected. 

"Yet,  you  have  made  it  possible," she  rejoined.  "It  was  from  your 
sex  alone  that  the  key  to  the  wanton's  chamber  was  filed.  Your 
sex  made  her  such,  your  sex  built  the  abode  for  her,  and  your  sex 
forced  her  to  enter  therein — to  satiate  its  appetite,  to  fill  its  pock- 
et, not  hers.  I  can  not  see  why  such  excessive  moral  tone  is  need- 
ed to  cover  up  the  crime  of  your  own  acts.  To  me  it  but  tells  of 
an  added  hypocrisy." 

"A  sad  truth,"  he  admitted,  "and  because  of  which  I  for  one  am 
now  striving  to  find  some  remedy  for  it.  You  may  recall  that,  up- 
on my  return  to  Nippon,  just  prior  to  our  marriage,  I  once  told 
you  that  I  believed  the  future  of  our  country  lay  as  much  in  the 


170  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

lives  of  our  women  as  in  the  brains  of  our  men.  In  this  belief  I 
daily  raise  my  voice  in  the  Diet  against  the  inherent  customs  of 
our  land,  to  bring  about  an  emancipation  for  our  women." 

"Such  an  emancipation  may  come  when  night  is  day — evening 
dawn,"  rejoined  Kiku-ko,  sardonically. 

"Perhaps  so,"  he  answered,  quietly,  "only  I  am  sure  it  will  never 
come  to  those  who  think  as  you  appear  to.  I  am  referring  to  an 
equal  moral  law  that  would  make  compulsory  sales  to  the  Yoshi- 
wara  no  more  binding  upon  the  one  sex  than  the  other.  That  will 
be  the  first  upward  step.  Yet,  possibly  you  are  right  when  you 
doubt  its  defmiteness,  for  not  from  the  lips  of  man,  but  from  the 
broadened  intellect  of  women  will  come,  after  all,  her  true  eman- 
cipation. As  yet  she  can  not  touch  the  outer  hem  of  the  real  gar- 
ment, her  complement  of  senses  is  still  lacking,  and  impulse  and 
vanity  really  control  her  whole  thought  and  actions.  I  can  but 
work,  and  hope." 

"Your  ambition  appears  to  me  a  dreamer's  vision — a  floating  sea 
fog — an  Island  of  Nowhere,"  said  Kiku-ko,  nettled. 

"An  Island  of  Gold,"  he  replied,  "born  with  the  dawn  of  a  pure 
day ;  yet,  alas !  invisible  to  the  color-blind.  The  receding  tide  must 
wash  from  its  yellow  sands  the  corpses  of  the  past,  corraling  a 
thousand  lagoons  to  wall  the  moaning  of  the  sea's  evil  from  the 
island,  and  there  a  garden  may  come  to  be  formed  of  beautiful 
flowers  and  fruits.  What  matter  if  the  first  furrows  are  but  brok- 
en by  the  rude  hand  of  some  poor  ploughman?  The  gardener  that 
follows  will  find  the  soil  readier  to  his  sewing.  My  fellow  mem- 
bers of  the  Diet  look  with  no  approval  on  what  they  term — even 
as  you,  Kiku-ko — my  visionary  dreams  of  reform.  It  may  be  that 
the  recent  mass  of  petitions  from  Yoshiwara  proprietors  have 
frightened  them,  or  that  they  do  not  judge  the  time  yet  ripe. 
Whatever  the  causes,  they  have — for  the  moment — prevented  my 
aims  from  becoming  realities,  and  mostly,  I  think,  because  neither 
they  nor  those  creatures  who  gain  their  livelihood  in  the  traffic  of 
human  bodies  and  souls,  understand  in  the  least  what  my  aims 
will  mean." 

"I  doubt  that  you  will  ever  be  able  to  abolish  the  Yoshiwara," 
objected  Kiku-ko. 


THE  PORTER'S  SHOULDER-KNOT  171 

"You  take  exactly  the  same  view  as  does  the  Diet,"  he  rejoined, 
quietly,  "and  with  quite  as  much  understanding.  Yet,  I  assure 
you,  I  am  no  such  foolish  dreamer  as  to  hope  for  a  complete  erad- 
ication of  the  so-called  'social  evil.'  I  leave  all  such  Eutopian 
ideas  to  acknowledged  reformers,  who,  among  their  carefully 
considered  plans  for  the  betterment  of  conditions,  invariably  ex- 
clude the  one  salient  factor  to  the  life  of  the  world — human  na- 
ture. No,  I  do  not  even  hope  for  an  ultimate  abolition  of  such ;  I 
merely  seek  to  protect  the  innocent  who  are  summarily  sold  into 
such  a  life  because  of  the  idleness  or  greed  of  their  relatives  and 
sponsors.  If  I  can  succeed  in  initiating  the  passage  of  a  law  which 
shall  make  all  such  sales  illegal — criminally  illegal  to  all  contract- 
ing parties — I  may  save  some  innocent  victims  from  the  results  of 
our  inherent,  and  still  living,  medievalism.  There  are  women,  I 
quite  realize,  to  whom  such  a  means  of  financial  gains  will  ever 
be  more  alluring  than  almost  menial  labor  for  pittances;  nor,  in 
general,  are  they  to  be  blamed  for  seeking  the  only  obvious  means 
of  protecting  themselves  against  the  miseries  of  poverty  to  which 
the  greed  of  mankind  has  condemned  them.  My  project  will  not 
in  any  way  interfere  with  such,  but  it  will  make  the  first  push  on 
the  downward  path,  penal  for  the  offender.  If  I  can,  therefore, 
help  ever  so  little  toward  the  protection  of  such,  it  may  be  that  I 
shall  not  have  lived  in  vain." 

Carried  away  by  the  depth  of  feeling  which  his  spoken  thoughts 
evoked,  he  had  arisen,  and  stood  facing  her.  It  seemed  to  Kiku-ko 
that  this  man,  who  in  her  eyes  had  always  compared  so  unfavor- 
ably with  such  as  Saito,  loomed  suddenly  to  gigantic  proportions, 
measured  by  which  Saito  himself  would  but  scale  the  height  of  a 
pigmy.  She  did  not  know  that  the  one  man  was  the  embodiment  of 
the  materially  sensual  of  life,  the  other  the  sensuous  intellectual- 
ity ;  but  she  did  realize  that  there  was  more  to  her  husband  than 
she  had  thought  heretofore.  Perhaps  this  was  but  the  result  of 
her  feminine  pleasure  in  being  mastered,  for  Tokiyori,  in  the  ear- 
lier part  of  his  discourse,  had  spoken  in  somewhat  contemptuous 
vein  of  her  capabilities  of  understanding. 

Now  he  seemed  to  sense  the  change  that  had  come  to  her  so 
suddenly,  and,  from  some  unknown  and  unnoted  impulse,  half 


172  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

stretched  out  his  arms  to  her — a  thing  he  had  never  contemplated 
doing  before.  She  could  scarcely  credit  the  evidence  of  her  sen- 
ses— then  a  faint  glimmer  dawning  for  her,  arose  too,  still  half 
uncertain. 

A  servant  entered. 

"Your  pardon,  my  lord,"  he  interrupted,  "the  noble  marquis,  your 
father,  requests  your  immediate  presence  at  Shima." 
He  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Kiku-ko  stood  regarding  Tokiyori,  a  curious  half-felt  presenti- 
ment crossing  her  mind — why,  she  knew  not.  Suddenly  she  pressed 
her  hand  to  her  heart,  her  features  assuming  a  waxen  tone,  as  of 
death. 

"Oh,  I  am  falling !  I  am  falling !"  she  cried,  faintly. 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms,  and  in  a  moment  she  gently  disen- 
gaged herself,  and  stood  swaying  slightly. 

"Thank  you,"  said  she.  "I  should  have  fallen.  I  do  not  know 
what  could  have  caused  this  spell  of  dizziness — I  am  not  accus- 
tomed to  such." 

"It  may  have  been  the  closeness  of  the  room,"  he  volunteered ; 
"the  hibatchi  throws  out  a  strong  heat  for  so  modest  an  apart- 
ment." 

He  crossed  the  room  solicitously,  and  partly  slid  a  shoji,  admit- 
ting the  cold,  crisp  night  air.  The  moon  found  the  opening,  too, 
and  played  upon  the  glow  of  the  brazier,  turning  its  dull  orange 
coals  a  pale  brick  color. 

"If  you  feel  better,  Kiku-ko,"  said  Tokiyori,  "I  will  hasten  on  to 
Shima  for  a  little  while,  as  I  fear  my  father  may  be  ill  and  in  need 
of  me." 

"Pray  do  so,"  she  replied.  "I  assure  you  I  have  quite  recovered 
from  my  unaccountable  faintness." 

He  left  the  besso  upon  this,  and  Kiku-ko,  standing  by  the  open 
shoji,  marked  his  vanishing  form  across  the  snow  carpet  that  led 
to  the  House  of  the  Potter. 


m^i^mm^ 

ft--TrC?-sS-  fe 


XII 

THE   POTTER   THUMPS    HIS   CLAY 


For  I  remember  stopping  by  the  way 

To  watch  a  Potter  thumping  his  wet  Clay: 

And  with  its  all-obliterated  Tongue 
It  murmur'd  —  "Gently,  Brother,  gently,  pray!"  —  OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IN  THE  great  library  of  the  castle  Tokiyori  found  his  father,  and 
hastened  to  question  him  regarding  his  health.  The  marquis  set 
his  son's  mind  at  rest,  attributing  his  impulse  in  sending  for  the 
latter  solely  to  an  unconquerable  selfish  desire  to  dispell  loneli- 
ness. 


174  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"As  one  grows  older,"  explained  Lord  Yo-Ake,  apologetically, 
"one  seems  to  become  more  and  more  selfish.  In  my  case  it  takes 
the  form  of  a  desire  to  cheat  the  encroaching  hours  of  their  lone- 
liness ;  doubtless  I  am  most  inconsiderate  of  your  and  my  daugh- 
ter-in-law's domestic  privacy.  You  must  pardon  this  spirit  in  an 
ageing  man,  my  son,  and  believe  that — although  it  is  one  of  the 
penalties  of  rank  that  one's  sentiments  may  not  be  given  publicity 
— nothing  in  life  affords  me  such  pleasure  as  your  little  visits  to 
me." 

"The  pleasure  is  reciprocal,"  answered  his  son,  "and,  for  me,  in- 
structive as  well.  Not  even  time  itself  will  ever  erase  the  memo- 
ries of  such  interviews,  my  father." 

"Time,"  soliloquized  Lord  Yo-Ake,  gently,  "ah,  Time !  Neither 
disease,  nor  death  can  weave  such  a  tracery  as  spin  the  drawn 
cobwebs  of  Time.  Disease?  Disease  but  leads  by  mathematic  tran- 
sit to  the  change  we  term  Death ;  but  Time  registers  the  un forget- 
ting trade-mark  of  oblivion  on  the  Forgot.  The  little  glowing 
cheapnesses  we  set  our  hearts  upon  turn  ashes  as  the  chill  hand  of 
Time  presses  down  the  coals  in  Life's  hibatchi.  Or,  for  a  breath, 
they  smoulder,  and,  scarce  thawing  the  ice  of  our  freezing  exist- 
ances,  are  gone.  No  material  conception  may  suspire  before  the 
corroding  touch  of  Time.  If  you  would  be  great,  my  son,  learn  to 
avoid  Time — as  I  have  not." 

The  two  sat  in  silence  a  few  moments,  the  marquis  pensive, 
Tokiyori  touched  and  awaiting.  At  last  Lord  Yo-Ake  spoke  again : 

"With  the  encroachments  of  this  tide-line  of  Time,"  said  he,  "it 
is  both  curious  and  saddening  to  note  the  changes  that  occur  as 
the  years  and  events  pass  in  their  kaleidoscopic  procession;  yet 
saddest  of  all  are  the  daily  human  sacrifices  we  must  pay  the  gods 
for  the  privilege  of  evoluting.  Both  you  and  I,  my  son,  are  such." 

"Sacrifices  ?"  asked  Tokiyori. 
The  marquis  nodded. 

"A  sacrifice,"  he  explained,  "may  take  many  forms."  And  then, 
with  his  unreadable  perambulation  of  thought — 

"Do  you  recall  Saburo  Ikeda?"  he  asked.  "Once  Lord  Ikeda  of 
the  Tokugawa  Baka-fu?" 

"Perfectly,"  answered  Tokiyori. 


THE  POTTER  THUMPS   HIS   CLAY  175 

"He  has  a  daughter,"  continued  the  marquis,  "who  is  blessed — 
or  rather  cursed — with  a  reported  wondrous  beauty.  It  is  a 
thousand  pities  that  such  a  lovely  pot  should  be  destined  for  the 
rubbish  heap.  She  is  an  inmate  of  the  Yoshiwara — another  form 
of  sacrifice,  you  see." 

"Damnable  in  its  repulsiveness,"  replied  Tokiyori,  sternly.  It  did 
not  occur  to  him  to  question  the  methods  by  which  his  father 
seemed  always  to  keep  himself  informed  on  even  the  most  appar- 
ently trivial  of  subjects. 

"Just  so,"  agreed  the  marquis,  quietly.  "Alas  for  human  nature ! 
Ikeda  has  apparently  prospered  since  her  sale,  and  Breath  of  Mu- 
kojima — his  daughter's  'house  name'  at  The  Jewel  River,  I  un- 
derstand— has  proved  a  loadstone  in  attracting  many  old  acquaint- 
ances of  Ikeda's  thither — former  daimios  who  once  held  their 
fiefs  under  the  Tokugawa  government. 

"It  sounds  as  romanceful  as  a  conspiracy,"  laughed  Tokiyori, 
mirthlessly. 

"Almost,"  agreed  the  marquis.  "Thither  consorts  Saito,  also." 

"In  that  company  ?"  asked  Tokiyori  in  surprise. 

"I  am  told  he  is  a  frequenter  of  The  Jewel  River,"  answered 
Lord  Yo-Ake,  ambiguously.  It  was  never  his  custom  to  make  defi- 
nite statements,  prefering  the  medium  of  suggestion. 

"You  infer,  of  course,"  observed  Tokiyori,  "on  account  of  Ike- 
da's  daughter  ?" 

"Probably,"  replied  the  marquis. 

"But  I  understood  that  he  was  mostly  with  his  school  of  samu- 
rai at  Satsuma,"  objected  Tokiyori. 

"That  should  not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  learn,  now,"  replied 
Lord  Yo-Ake. 

"Only  purposeless,  since  he  has  retired  from  all  participation  in 
politics,"  answered  the  son. 

"On  the  contrary,"  disagreed  the  marquis. 
Tokiyori  regarded  his  father,  fixedly. 

"You  infer  to  be  learned  from  Ikeda's  daughter?"  he  asked, 
finally. 

"Possibly." 

"But,  if  she  is  his  mistress?" 


176  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

i  i 

"She  is  also  of  the  Yoshiwara." 
Again  Tokiyori  regarded  his  father  quizically. 

"I  do  not  think  I  quite  follow  you,"  said  he  at  last. 
The  marquis  relapsed  into  retrospection  again. 

"Mark  the  whimsicality  of  life,  Tokiyori,"  said  he;  "the  super- 
ficiality of  years.  I  am — or  I  now  should  be — a  more  engaging 
conversationalist  than  I  could  possibly  have  been  in  my  youth, 
yet  were  I  to  present  myself  at  The  Jewel  River  as  a  contestant 
in  the  arena  of  the  Breath  of  Mukojima's  favors,  I  fear  I  should 
provoke  but  derision  and  failure.  Seriously,  my  son,  it  is  impera- 
tive that  we  should  ascertain  exactly  why  certain  daimios — and, 
above  all,  Saito — have  taken  to  frequenting  that  particular  house, 
and  with  a  man  whose  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  petty  intrigu- 
ing— Saburo  Ikeda,  an  overthrown  lord." 

"Whom  then  do  you  destine  for  the  unpleasant  role?"  asked  To- 
kiyori. "Goto?  He  has  no  family  ties.  Or  Taro,  his  nephew?  He  is 
a  clever  young  fellow." 

"Goto,"  rejoined  the  marquis,  "is — among  other  objections — 
like  myself,  not  so  young  as  he  once  was,  that  alone  would  debar 
him  from  acting  successfully  in  that  capacity.  And  as  for  Mr. 
Taro — well,  I  am  given  to  understand  that  he  is  somewhat  in  the 
nature  of  a  rival  to  Saito  in  the  lady's  affections.  Of  course,  in 
that  instance,  one  could  hardly  expect  him  to — " 

"Gain  her  confidence,  and  then  basely  betray  it,"  finished  Toki- 
yori for  him,  ironically.  "No,  I  scarcely  think  Mr.  Taro  would 
lend  himself  to  a  proposal  of  that  nature." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  regarded  his  son  with  an  expression  of  the  utmost 
gentle  compassion. 

"You  see  how  our  field  of  representatives  narrow,"  he  said. 

Tokiyori  paced  the  apartment,  then  came  to  an  abrupt  stand- 
still before  his  father. 

"Before  considering  this  question  further,"  said  he,  "tell  me  ex- 
actly what  it  is  you  most  fear  in  this  matter  of  Saito  and  Ikeda." 

"That  is  what  I  wish  to  find  out,"  reminded  the  marquis. 

"Then — as  I  understand  it — you  wish  to  discover  why  Ikeda  has 
sold  his  daughter  to  The  Jewel  River,  why  Saito  and  Ikeda  have 
suddenly  become  intimates,  and  why — if  a  dangerous  why  there 


THE  POTTER  THUMPS   HIS   CLAY  177 

be — these  Tokugawa  discontents  foregather  at  this  Jewel  River. 
Well,  your  object  can  be  attained,  it  seems  to  me,  without  all  this 
pother.  If  you  suspect  a  conspiracy  at  the  bottom  of  all,  why  not 
simply  cause  the  arrest  of  the  supposed  ringleaders  and  have 
them  held  pending  an  investigation  ?" 

"And  by  so  doing/'  continued  the  marquis,  "arouse  the  allegi- 
ance of  the  populace  and  thousands  of  other  Tokugawa  partisans 
to  Saito's  cause,  and  so  plunge  the  whole  country  afresh  into  civil 
strife?  That  would  be  the  outcome  of  the  first  governmental  move 
against  Saito.  We  must  proceed  with  only  the  greatest  caution. 
Our  first  safeguard  lies  in  discovering,  and  then  watching  care- 
fully. It  is  our  best — in  fact,  I  believe,  our  only — possible  action." 

"Yet,  I  can  scarcely  imagine,"  objected  Tokiyori,  "that  this  sus- 
pected conspiracy  can  have  gathered  sufficient  headway  to  be  a 
matter  of  such  grave  menace  as  you  seem  to  suggest." 

"Again  I  must  remind  you  that  that  is  what  we  must  discover," 
replied  Lord  Yo-Ake,  dryly.  "One  fact,  at  any  rate,  points  to  it 
as  a  dangerous  sore  in  our  midst — one  of  the  Mikuni  brothers  is 
involved.  You  see  what  this  means,  of  course,  because  of  his  pow- 
erful connections  in  the  present  government.  If  Saburo  Ikeda  has 
captured  to  his  cause  a  Mikuni,  why  not  others  similarly  placed? 
Who  knows  but  that  some  morning  we  might  awaken  to  find  half 
the  Diet  taking  sides  against  the  remainder  ?" 

Tokiyori  nodded  his  head;  he  had  to  admit  that  his  father's 
fears  were  better  grounded  than  he  had  at  first  supposed. 

"I  do  not  seek  to  evade  your  meaning,"  said  he,  "but  there  is  an- 
other aspect  to  this  case  that  I  would  present  to  your  considera- 
tion before  you  fasten  upon  me  the  role  of  spy,  and  the  ignominy 
that  will  be  resultant  upon  such.  I  can  not  approach  this  geisha, 
Ikeda's  daughter,  with  the  purpose  in  hand  and  expect  any  ulti- 
mate success  without  breaking  every  bonden  tie  in  my  present 
life.  I  speak  frankly,  because  there  is  no  other  way  in  which  I 
may  say  my  say.  Is  the  discovering  of  a  thousand  conspiracies 
worth  this,  my  father?" 

For  a  few  moments  silence  reigned,  broken  at  last  by  Lord  Yo- 
Ake. 

"You  know  what  is  hidden  beyond  those  paper  panes,  my  son?" 


178  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

he  asked,  indicating  the  shoji  that  gave  out  on  the  Shiba  wood- 
lands. 

"Why,  yes — Shiba  of  course,"  answered  Tokiyori,  completely 
surprised  at  this  sudden  change  of  topic. 

"You  know  their  environs  well  ?" 

"Certainly." 

"And  the  temples  and  tombs?  The  neighboring  temple  of  Senga- 
kuji,  for  instance?" 

"Where  the  seven-and- forty  ronin  lie  buried,  and  one  other?" 
"Yes." 

"The  one  other  is  not  of  that  immortal  band,"  dissented  Lord 
Yo-Ake;  "the  seven-and- forty  will  suffice.  Seven-and-forty  sacri- 
fices— seven-and- forty  morals.  Do  you  ever  make  your  devotions 
at  those  shrines,  Tokiyori  ?" 

"I  have  not  visited  the  graves  since  when  a  boy  with  old  Naka- 
hara,"  answered  Tokiyori. 

"Yet,  you  recall  their  story?" 

"Of  course.  Led  by  Kuranosuke  they  gave  their  lives  for  a  ven- 
geance." 

"And  something  higher,"  supplemented  the  marquis ;  "for  a  duty 
— as  they  conceived  it." 

"A  bushido  one,"  observed  Tokiyori. 

"Time  alters  circumstances,"  affirmed  his  father.  "In  the  course 
of  the  evolution  of  mankind  what  was  noble  in  the  ancestor  might 
appear  absurd  in  the  descendant.  Our  sense  of  appreciation  is 
molded  by  environment,  yet  the  fundamental  principles  of  all 
greatness  defy  even  the  prying  chipping  of  the  ages.  Kuranosuke, 
a  councilor  noted  for  great  wisdom,  a  husband  noted  for  fidelity, 
a  father  noted  for  love  and  care,  at  an  advanced  age  sacrificed  all 
this  repute  to  roll  in  the  arms  of  a  bought  courtesan,  and  lie  in 
the  gutters  of  the  streets  a  drunken  derision.  The  world  now 
knows  that  this  was  for  a  duty  and  to  allay  the  suspicions  of  his 
enemy  toward  its  accomplishment,  his  mead  and  that  of  the  forty- 
six  others  who  patiently  followed  his  example — death.  Among 
that  band  was  his  loved  son.  Such  acts  may  be  termed  bushidic, 
my  son,  but  their  moral  to  the  public  is  invaluable,  the  example 
they  create  in  symbolism  glorious.  The  memory  of  the  seven-and- 


THE  POTTER  THUMPS   HIS  CLAY  179 

forty  will  be  ever  green  while  flowers  are  born  to  deck  their  graves, 
while  hearts  are  capable  of  pulsing  quicker  at  tales  of  noble 
deeds." 

He  ceased  speaking,  and  eyed  his  son  anxiously.  His  short  re- 
cital had  been  quiet  and  logical,  delivered  with  that  suppressed 
dramaticism  of  which  he  was  a  past  master.  He  awaited  the  re- 
sult. 

"Your  reasoning  is — as  always — irrefutable,  father,"  said  Toki- 
yori  at  last ;  "your  argument,  convincing ;  the  implied  suggestion, 
unmistakable.  I  never  knew  you  to  commit  but  one  error  in  your 
life." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  raised  his  brows. 

"That  oversight  which  you  were  guilty  of,"  continued  Tokiyori, 
"when,  at  the  hour  of  my  birth,  you  neglected  to  fasten  upon  me 
the  name  of  Kuranosuke.  .  .  .  O  yasumi  nasai." 

Lord  Yo-Ake  sat  meditating  after  the  departure  of  his  son.  A 
servant  entered,  and  at  his  master's  abstracted  bidding,  exting- 
uished andon  and  tapers,  so  that  saving  for  the  faint  glimmer 
from  the  little  lamp  before  his  wife's  ihai,  the  apartment  was  in 
darkness.  The  servant  withdrew. 

"Life,"  meditated  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "is  an  abysmal  forest,  still  pri- 
meval in  its  vegetation.  A  sun  patch  breaks  it  here,  and  some  new 
verdure  is  given  a  growth.  A  heavy  shade  falls  there,  and  we  know 
not  which  of  the  many  trees  obstruct  the  rays.  Its  lights  and  shad- 
ows are  ever  scintillating,  for  as  the  sun  passes  on  its  interminable 
path,  where  was  darkness,  now  is  radiance,  and  where  clarity,  den- 
sity. Thus  is  the  forest  of  life;  ever  changing,  ever  changeless; 
until  an  inanimate  winter  stamps  it  with  apparent  death.  Then, 
through  nude  shivering  branches,  groaning  beneath  the  weight  of 
their  snowy  shroud,  the  full  light  floods  upon  the  ground — a  gol- 
gotha  of  dead  leaves.  Yet,  after  the  sun  has  lain  bare  the  earth  in 
all  its  beauties,  in  all  its  imperfections,  sorrily  the  re-incarnation 
of  the  leafing  verdure  must  again  darken  the  forest  during  the 
life  of  its  rebirth." 

He  arose,  tottering  slightly,  his  head  bent  in  thought.  The  faint 
glimmer  of  a  little  lamp — the  never-extinguished  light  before  the 
ihai  to  his  wife — alone  lit  the  oppressive  darkness.  Suddenly  he 


l8o  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

raised  his  head  and  listened — from  the  woodlands  came  the  faint 
tinkling  of  bells — temple  bells — it  was  the  hour  of  midnight 
prayer  at  Sengakuji.  He  listened  until  the  faint  tinkling  stopped, 
and  then  gazed  intently  at  the  shrine. 

"There  must  be  an  eight-and-fortieth  ronin,"  said  he,  softly, 
"the  legend  is  yet  incomplete." 


XIII 

THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  VINE 


You  know,  my  Friends,  with  what  a  brave  Carouse 
I  made  a  Second  Marriage  in  my  house; 

Divorced  old  barren  Reason  from  my  Bed, 
And  took  the  Daughter  of  the  Vine  to  Spouse. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

13  A  RON  GOTO  bent  over  his  desk  in  the  War  Department  and 
solemnly  regarded  a  number  of  drawings  that  three  statuesque  of- 
ficers of  his  staff  had  just  handed  him  for  inspection  and  approv- 
al. It  appeared  that  certain  staff  officers  having  lately  petitioned  to 
be  allowed  a  more  distinctive  symbol  of  their  rank  than  that  hith- 


l82  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

erto  laid  down  for  them,  a  committee  of  Goto's  aides  had  been  in- 
structed to  prepare  drawings  of  suggestions  for  a  new  style  of 
uniform.  These  drawings  were  the  result. 

Goto  bent  his  brows  heavily. 

"Why  have  you  placed  all  this  gold  lace  upon  the  coat-tails  of 
the  proposed  uniforms?"  he  inquired  of  one,  evidently  the  senior 
of  the  officers  who  stood  stiffly  at  attention  before  him. 

The  officer  explained  that  it  had  been  thought  the  best  place. 
"'The  rooster  wears  its  colors  in  its  comb,  the  peacock  in  its 
tail!'"  vociferated  Goto.  "Do  you  suppose  a  general  wants  to 
command  a  soldier  whose  colors  are  all  on  its  coat  ends  ?" 

"The  object  of  thus  placing  the  insignia,"  explained  the  senior 
staff  officer,  "is  to  render  the  uniform  less  conspicuous  in  time  of 
possible  war  than  if  it  were  placed  on  the  front  of  the  coat  where 
it  might  attract  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  sharpshooters." 

"And  in  case  of  a  retreat,"  supplemented  Goto  in  ponderous  sar- 
casm, "I  should  be  having  all  my  wounded  shot  in  their  coat-tails, 
according  to  your  reasoning.  No,  no ;  the  goldfish  has  many  tails 
grafted  upon  his  own  by  the  skill  of  the  fancier,  but  these  impede 
rather  than  accelerate  his  swimming.  I  will  not  approve  of  such 
obvious  nonsense !  There  is  no  place  approaching  the  nobility  of 
the  chest  for  a  soldier  to  receive  his  wounds  in.  Prepare  another 
draft  of  suggestions  at  once." 

Just  then  an  orderly  entered  bearing  a  card,  and  with  a  salute 
of  dismissal  to  his  personal  staff,  Goto  turned  the  card  to  decipher 
it: 

COUNT  TOKIYORI  YO-AKE 
Imperial  Diet 

"Show  the  count  in  at  once,"  he  commanded,  and  then  waited, 
wondering  what  reason  had  brought  him  this  unusual  call  from 
Tokiyori. 

"This  is  an  unprecedented  pleasure,"  he  observed  as  the  latter 
made  his  appearance  in  the  wake  of  the  orderly,  who  immediately 
withdrew.  "I  was  just  about  to  seek  an  eating  house  nearby  where 
they  serve  a  very  good  repast,  when  you  were  announced.  May  I 
not  have  the  pleasure  of  your  company?" 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  VINE  183 

"I  shall  be  overjoyed,"  replied  Tokiyori,  "if  you  will  consent  to 
be  my  guest  for  this  evening." 

Goto  assented,  and  a  few  moments  later  saw  the  two  emerge 
from  the  chambers  and  make  across  the  snow-melted  street  to- 
ward the  yadoya  designated  by  the  baron. 

"The  fact  is,  baron,"  remarked  Tokiyori,  after  they  had  taken 
their  seats  there,  and  somewhat  appeased  their  hunger,  "I  have 
been  overworked  somewhat  recently,  and  have  thought  of  giving 
myself  a  few  days  leisure  and  pleasure." 

"It  is  a  very  wise  decision,"  agreed  Goto.  "I  find  sometimes,  my- 
self, 'that  all  ploughing,  and  no  playing,  makes  the  farmer  careless 
of  his  furrows.'  Although,  I  must  admit,  that  since  the  return  of 
Taro  I  have  been  kept  fairly  busy  tagging  after  his  footsteps.  But 
where  do  we  dine  tonight  ?" 

I  was  thinking  of  having  a  little  dinner  and  a  pleasant  evening 
afterwards  in  the  'Flower  Quarter' — say  at  The  Jewel  River." 

Goto  laid  down  his  chopsticks  and  regarded  his  companion  with 
wide  open  eyes. 

"At  The  Jewel  River !"  he  repeated. 

"If  you  have  no  objections,"  added  Tokiyori. 

"I  think  you  young  men  have  gone  mad  about  this  Jewel  River," 
observed  Goto,  without  answering  Tokiyori's  question.  "First 
Taro  must  needs  drag  me  thither  one  evening,  and  now  you  come 
to  me  with  a  similar  invitation.  I  dare  swear  the  same  loadstone 
is  the  cause  of  both.  Frankly,  count,  I  would  rather  dine  else- 
where. In  the  first  place  it  does  not  look  well  for  a  man  of  my 
prominence  to  be  seen  entering  such  places,  and  secondly — in  the 
very  strictest  confidence — one  is  always  liable  to  exceed  an  aver- 
age amount  of  sake  in  such  places,  which  in  my  case  results  in  at- 
tacks of  gout.  Another  night  like  the  one  I  spent  with  Taro  and  I 
should  be  confined  to  my  besso  for  a  week." 

"What  is  this  loadstone  of  which  you  speak?"  asked  Tokiyori, 
ignoring  in  his  turn  Goto's  objection. 

"Saburo  Ikeda's  daughter — Breath  of  Mukojima,  as  she  now  is 
called,"  answered  Goto.  "You  must  know  her;  she  was  a  guest 
with  her  father  at  your  house  the  night  of  Saito's  attack  at  Mei- 


184  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Ah,  I  was  absent  that  night,  you  may  remember,"  answered  To- 
kiyori,  "and  so  I  have  never  seen  her.  You  say  she  is  an  inmate  of 
this  Yoshiwara  house  ?" 

"For  the  last  eight  or  nine  months,  poor  child,"  replied  the  bar- 
on; "a  geisha." 

"Why  was  she  sold?" 

"Old  Ikeda  was  destitute  and  had  no  prospects,  I  suppose,"  ex- 
plained Goto.  "It  is  a  thousand  pities." 

"My  dear  baron,  you  arouse  my  curiosity,"  said  Tokiyori.  "Is 
she  then  so  very  beautiful?" 

Goto  leaned  toward  him  impressively. 

"She  is  exactly  like  a  handful  of  light,  airy,  floating  cherry  pet- 
als," said  he,  remembering  Taro's  description  of  her.  "Between 
ourselves,  count,  I  am  very  sorry  to  find  her  in  such  a  position. 
She  was  a  bright,  pretty  child,  and  worthy  a  better  fate  than  is 
now  hers." 

"She  must  indeed  be  well  worth  seeing  from  your  description  of 
her,"  mused  Tokiyori.  "I  would  really  take  it  as  a  great  favor  if 
you  would  accompany  me,  baron,  to  this  Jewel  River.  You  might 
play  the  host  and  introduce  me  as  a  friend  of  yours  from — say 
the  north — Sendai  way,  for  instance.  It  would  be  amusing.  Ex- 
plain to  the  lady  that  I  am  deeply  interested  in  some  large  fisher- 
ies there — it  will  be  less  embarrassing  for  her  than  knowing  that  I 
was  once  her  host — and  that  my  name  is — let  us  say — Take — 
Take  san.  I  think  that  will  suit  admirably.  May  I  count  upon  you 
for  this  favor,  baron?" 

Goto  knit  his  brows,  hesitating.  He  did  not  wish  to  refuse  Toki- 
yori for  several  reasons,  but  introducing  another  man  to  one  with 
whom  he  knew  his  nephew  to  be  really  in  love  seemed  somewhat 
of  a  disloyalty.  Moreover,  he  was  really  a  most  respectable  mid- 
dle-aged gentleman,  and  while  it  was  one  thing  to  accompany  his 
nephew  once  to  see  a  geisha  with  whom  he  was  taken,  it  was  quite 
another  thing  to  make  a  practice  of  visiting  the  Flower  Quarter. 

"The  fact  is,  baron,"  added  Tokiyori,  seeing  Goto's  hesitation, 
"I  have  my  reasons  for  wishing  to  visit  the  lady  in  question  in- 
cognito. That  can  best  be  accomplished  through  your  aid — I  am 
sure  you  will  not  refuse  me  this  small  favor  once.  I  feel  the  need 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  VINE  185 

of  relaxation,  as  I  told  you,  and — well,  you  know,  even  the  night- 
ingale changes  its  wants  with  the  seasons.  Need  I  say  more  ?" 

He  assumed  an  air  of  "lady  killer  and  roue"  so  foreign  to  his 
nature  that  Goto  stared  at  him  in  amazement  at  his  transforma- 
tion. 

"After  all,  baron,"  he  concluded,  simpering  like  any  young 
"blood,"  "what  is  life  without  some  beautiful  woman?  What  fleet- 
ing pleasure  so  great  as  a  brave  carouse — a  bottle  of  good  wine 
and  a  temporary  second  marriage,  let  us  say,  with  the  daughter  of 
the  vine?  A  night  of  the  gods — the  vale  of  the  immortals — and 
away,  for  the  moment,  with  dull,  sober,  barren  old  reason !" 

Goto  caught  the  festive  fire  from  his  companion's  words. 
"By  Uji-no-Mitama !"  he  shouted.  "I  believe  you  are  right !  'The 
ever-working  brush  grows  clogged  and  ragged  with  the  ink.'  I  will 
meet  you,  then,  at  the  O-mon  to  the  Flower  Quarter  at — when 
shall  we  say?" 

"Supposing  we  arrange  for  an  hour  after  the  sun  has  gone  down. 
It  will  be  dark  enough  then  for  our  purpose.  In  the  meantime,  I 
must  hasten  back  to  my  work.  Sayonara  till  then,  baron." 

All  that  late  forenoon  and  early  afternoon  the  sun  had  shone  so 
brightly  out  of  a  cloudless  sky  that  there  had  been  an  almost  sug- 
gestion of  early  spring  in  the  air,  but  now,  when  the  day  had  run 
its  travail,  the  chill  of  winter  again  struck  bitter,  while  dusk  crept 
like  a  gaunt  wolf  through  the  streets  and  byways  of  the  city.  Yet, 
cheer  and  warmth  were  redoubled  within  doors  as  stately  Night, 
gathering  her  robe  about  her,  flaunted  its  star-flecked  lining  over 
Tokyo,  and  the  Flower  Quarter. 

In  the  latter,  where  the  upper  balconies  of  The  Jewel  River  gave 
out  over  the  Nightless  Street,  Breath  of  Mukojima — once  Ren-ko 
of  the  house  of  Ikeda — leaned  upon  the  low  railing  watching  the 
hurrying  winter-clad  throng  beneath.  Beyond,  she  knew  that  the 
great  O-mon  was  now  yawning  to  receive  its  nightly  quota  of 
pleasure  seekers,  for  which  the  houses  about  her  seemed  to  watch 
tirelessly,  while  the  oiiran  scanned  each  passerby  through  the  bars 
of  their  gilded  cages.  Above,  a  cold,  rain-circled  moon  had  clasped 
the  girdle  of  darkness  about  the  night,  and  from  the  interior  of 
The  Jewel  River  arose  ever-increasing  sounds  of  jollity  and 


l86  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

mirth.  Soon  now,  she  reflected,  her  evening  work  of  entertaining 
would  be  called  into  requisition,  and  she  sighed  a  little  wearily  at 
the  monotony  of  it  all — the  seasonal  close  rooms,  reeking  with  vi- 
ands, sake  and  stale  tobacco;  the  half-tipsy  revelers  with  whom 
she  would  be  expected  to  bandy  wit  and  pathos  alternately,  ac- 
cording to  their  moods. 

At  the  junction  of  the  Nightless  Street  with  that  of  the  Sorrow- 
Love,  just  beneath  where  she  stood,  a  wrell  known  old  umbrella 
vendor,  who  varied  his  calling  by  hawking  caged  cicadas  in  the 
summer  months,  was,  with  a  persistent  monotony,  crying  his  sea- 
sonal wares  that  brought  him  his  scant  livelihood. 

"Behold,  most  noble  masters !"  he  importuned  in  a  raspy,  croak- 
ing voice,  in  the  Yoshiwara  jargon,  displaying  at  the  same  time  a 
gorgeous  umbrella  to  catch  passing  attention,  "here  is  that  which 
will  shelter  you  from  the  encroaching  blasts  of  life,  or  hide  your 
noble  countenances  from  vulgar  prying  as  you  speed  to  pluck  the 
night-flowers  of  the  hot-houses.  See,  masters,  upon  it  are  pic- 
tured some  of  the  most  famous  of  the  oiiran !  Who  will  buy?  who 
will  buy  ?" 

In  a  half  spirit  of  compassion,  Ren-ko  dropped  a  small  coin  to 
the  old  peddler.  She  had  on  occasion  performed  like  small  kind- 
nesses to  the  picturesque  old  fellow,  so  that  quite  a  friendship  had 
sprung  up  between  the  two. 

"I  doubt  not,"  said  she,  "that  your  kasa  will  be  in  demand  to 

catch  the  falling  drops  from  the  moon's  umbrella  'ere  the  night 

passes."  She  pointed  upward  to  the  rain-rimed  moon  as  she  spoke. 

The  umbrellaman  caught  the  dropping  coin  dextrously,and  then 

following  the  line  of  her  pointing,  nodded  his  head. 

"The  moon  has  her  umbrella  out  already,"  he  agreed. 

"May  it  bring  you  luck  and  money,"  cried  Ren-ko,  prettily. 

"And  may  your  samisen  lilt  as  sweetly  as  a  harp  of  the  gods  shod 
with  flower-frets,"  he  answered,  readily.  "May  your  feet  tread 
the  dance  as  lightly  as  a  shooting  star.  The  blossoms  of  Mukojima 
died  when  their  fragrance  was  wafted  to  the  Flower  Quarter." 

She  clapped  her  hands — shapely  and  tapering  as  the  unfolding 
petals  of  a  wild  iris — laughing  at  the  old  fellow's  extravagances. 
Idly  she  noted  two  'rickshas  pass  swiftly  through  the  throng  on 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  VINE  187 

the  Nightless  Street  and  turn  down  the  Street  of  the  Sorrow-Love 
that  ended  at  the  alleyway  leading  to  The  Jewel  River's  private 
entrance.  She  presumed  that  they  contained  guests  who  might  not 
desire  their  identity  recognized,  and,  dismissing  from  her  mind 
further  conjectures  regarding  them,  bent  over  again  to  a  contem- 
plation of  the  tireless  little  old  umbrellaman.  What  a  life — she 
mused — this  of  his !  Unvariant,  cheerless,  probably  lost  by  virtue 
of  custom  to  any  other  interest  than  that  occasioned  by  the  ever- 
pressing  needs  for  the  maintenance  of  that  life.  Cold,  or  warm, 
the  weather  could  but  serve  for  him  to  form  a  limitless  night-shop 
for  the  disposal  of  his  day's  labor.  And,  in  return,  doubtless  but 
some  dismal  hovel,  a  wife  embittered  by  the  unequal  struggle 
against  an  existence  resultant  upon  an  intellect  limited  by  a  de- 
cree of  the  gods,  a  coarse  meal,  and  a  lowly  futon. 

She  contrasted  this  with  her  own  life,  prodigally  dowered  in 
comparison,  and  thought  with  conviction  that  not  even  love  itself 
— so  plentifully  pictured  as  a  safeguard  against  such  ills  in  the 
romances  of  her  country — could  tempt  her  to  an  interchange  of 
existences  with  the  umbrellaman.  Then  the  thought  came  to  her 
that  he  possessed  one  jewel  which  she  had  not — freedom.  Yes,  he 
might  come  and  go  at  will,  whither  or  when  he  pleased — and  she  ? 

She  recalled  that  the  time  of  her  allotted  probation  in  The  Jew- 
el River  was  fast  drawing  to  a  close,  soon  to  be  changed  into  a 
permanent  actuality  of  slavery  should  her  father  fail  in  liquidat- 
ing the  total  amount  of  his  indebtedness  to  Tanaka.  Quite  perfect- 
ly she  realized  what  the  alternative  would  mean,  and — for  she  was 
most  observing  in  detail — found  no  comforting  possibility  in  any 
hopes  that  Tanaka  might  be  induced  to  forego  his  pound  of  flesh. 
She  shuddered  a  little  at  the  thought.  After  all, might  not  the  men- 
dicant old  umbrellaman  be  far  better  off  in  this  life  than  such  as 
she? 

A  shuffling  of  feet  sounded  along  the  balcony,  at  the  far  end 
from  where  she  stood. 

"Miss  Breath  of  Mukojima  is  requested  to  entertain  in  the  sec- 
ond room  from  across  the  Bridge  of  Love,"  announced  a  voice. 


XIV 

BY  THE  TAVERN   DOOR 


And  lately,  by  the  Tavern  Door  agape, 

Came  shining  through  the  Dusk  an  Angel  Shape 

Bearing  a  vessel  on  his  Shoulder;  and 
He  bade  me  taste  of  it,  and  'twas  the  Grape! — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

As  REN-KO  entered  the  room  of  the  two  diners,  she  saw  that 
one  was  Baron  Goto,  but  the  other  was  an  utter  stranger.  Goto  in- 
troduced his  friend  as  Mr.  Take,  of  the  north  country.  After  the 
customary  bows  and  acknowledgments,  Ren-ko  took  her  floor- 
cushion  seat  near  the  little  maid  who  had  preceded  her  with  her 


BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR  189 

samisen,  and  just  across  the  low  table  from  Mr.  Take.  As  the  din- 
ner progressed,  little  dancing  girls  were  introduced  into  the  apart- 
ment. 

The  stranger  observed  the  geisha,  Breath  of  Mukojima,  covert- 
ly. Tall  she  could  scarce  be  described  as,  yet  she  seemed  to  sug- 
gest an  exceedance  of  the  height  of  Japanese  women.  Possibly 
this  was  because  of  the  unusual,  and  apparently  unconscious, 
freedom  of  movement  which,  when  walking,  bore  her  hither  and 
thither  as  lightly  and  easily  as  a  butterfly  flutters  from  flower  to 
flower.  Her  oval  features,  perfect  in  form  and  expression,  were 
poised  on  a  neck  and  throat  of  amber,  pliant  and  undulant  as  the 
delicate  stalk  of  a  blown  flower.  She  wore  the  customary  dress  of 
geisha — grey  crepe  kimono,  dark  above  and  lightly  shaded  below 
into  a  pictured  landscape,  with  crest  of  The  Jewel  River  on 
sleeves  and  back.  A  large  gold  damask  obi  girdled  this,  and  a 
snowy  neckband  enhanced  its  simple  richness.  White  socks  en- 
cased her  shapely  feet,  while  a  coiffure  of  the  Shimada  type,  held 
in  place  by  a  single  hairpin  of  susuki  grass  design,  completed  and 
gave  a  setting  to  the  whole.  Yet  it  was  neither  in  the  dress,  nor 
features,  nor  the  vibrant  pulsing  of  her  full  bosom  where  Ren- 
ko's  greatest  beauty  lay,  but  in  her  eyes — clear,  large,  ever  chang- 
ing from  a  suggestion  of  the  violets  to  the  softest  black  of  full 
night,  liquid  and  sensitive  as  dew  upon  the  grass-lands. 

She  took  the  samisen  from  the  hands  of  her  little  attendant  and 
drew  from  it  a  few  plaintive,  lingering  chords,  whereupon  the 
dancing  girls,  swaying  gently,  executed  the  graceful  story  of  a 
newly  created  posture-poem.  At  its  conclusion  these  withdrew, 
and  Ren-ko,  laying  aside  her  musical  instrument,  prepared  for  the 
customary  interchange  of  wit  and  repartee. 

"'A  good  horse  is  known  by  the  graceful  movement  of  its  legs'/' 
observed  Goto,  jocosely,  draining  a  cup  of  sake.  "May  I  inquire 
the  name  of  the  beautiful  dance  we  have  just  witnessed?" 

"It  is  but  recently  composed,"  explained  Ren-ko,  "and  is  called 
the  Dance  of  the  Falling  Cherry  Petals." 

"It  is  lightsome,"  commented  Take  san,"yet  not  more  so  than  your 
exquisite  touch  upon  your  samisen,  which  would  make  even  the 
falling  petals  themselves  seem  leadlike  in  comparison,  fair  Breath 
of  Mukojima." 


I9O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Yet  falling  petals  are  often  lighter  than  sorrows  of  the  heart," 
supplemented  Ren-ko. 

"In  any  event  your  sorrows  have  not  weighted  your  ringers,"  re- 
joined Take  san.  "Is  the  heart  then  so  heavy?" 

"The  only  scale  whose  weights  are  adjusted  to  its  measure  is 
called  love,"  she  answered,  lightly. 

"A  scale  whose  perfect  balance  is  often  lacking,"  added  Take, 
laughingly. 

He  emptied  his  cup  of  sake  as  he  spoke,  and  stretched  forth  his 
hand  for  a  fresh  cup  with  an  air  of  reckless  gaiety. 
"'The  balance  of  the  scale  is  easily  tampered  with',"  quoted  Goto, 
inspecting  one  of  the  bottles  of  the  wine.  "I'll  wager  these  bottles 
were  weighed  in  such.  More  sake  for  my  guest  and  self,  atten- 
dant." 

"Love  is  a  god  who  never  knew  love,"  observed  Take  to  Ren-ko, 
in  answer  to  her  remark  of  a  moment  before. 

"Love  is  a  god  created  from  himself,"  she  retorted. 

"Love  is  a  miserable  failure  as  a  provider  of  meals,  so  I  have  ob- 
served in  others,"  commented  Goto,  sagely.  "Wisely,  I  have  re- 
mained a  bachelor." 

Ren-ko  joined  in  Take's  laugh  at  this  sally  of  the  jovial  baron's, 
and  the  attendant  returning  at  that  moment  with  the  fresh  bottles 
of  sake,  a  diversion  was  created,  in  which  Ren-ko  had  again  re- 
course to  her  samisen.  Her  voice  was  soft  and  dulcet,  making  up 
in  richness  and  sweetness  what  it  lacked  in  volume,  and  the  song 
she  now  chose — the  Soul  of  the  Cherry  Blossom — suited  it  ad- 
mirably. After  a  short  prelude, her  voice  glided  into — so  it  seemed, 
rather  than  began — the  song : 

All  blushing,  Mukojima  greets 

The  new-born  day ; 

Her  blooms  unfolding,  one  by  one, 

In  pink  array, 

And  as  each  petal  opens  it 

Lisps  love's  roundelay. 

In  saffron  runes  a  butterfly 
Is  tinged  with  dawn ; 


BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR  19! 

And,  thus,  the  cherry-flower's  soul 
Is  fluttering  born 

Like  rosy  babe  from  whom  the  quilts 
Are  sudden  shorn. 

Sorrow  !  the  gentle  flutt'r's  wings — 

But  made  for  flight — 

Have  caught  some  ravish'd  mortal's  eye 

In  sheer  delight ; 

And  so  the  cherry's  soul  is  waft 

Into  the  night. 

She  laid  aside  her  samisen,  thoughtfully,  while  Goto  remarked : 
"That  is  both  beautiful  and  sad.  It  reminds  me  very  much  of 
two  ladies  whom  I  used  to  know.  Their  names  were  Nui-ko  san 
and  Toyo-ko  san,  and  they  were  sisters.  Somehow,  I  think  they 
must  have  been — like  the  mortal  eye  of  your  song,  Miss  Breath  of 
Mukojima — always  on  the  lookout  for  fresh  butterflies.  I  had  a 
narrow  escape  myself  once,  before  I,  too,  was  waft  out  into  the 
night." 

He  relapsed  into  a  fresh  cup  of  sake. 

The  jollity  increased  after  this,  jest  following  jest,  quip  fol- 
lowing quip,  and  song  following  song,  until  Ren-ko  noted  that  her 
two  diners  had  apparently  consumed  all  the  sake  possible  while 
still  able  to  continue  a  conversation.  In  the  case  of  Goto,  indeed, 
Ren-ko  saw  that  he  was  growing  drowsy,  but  it  was  to  the  young- 
er man — Take  san — that  her  attention  was  mostly  directed.  Al- 
though such  scenes  were  now  a  common  matter  of  occurrence  to 
her,  there  was  something  about  this  frail  looking  stranger  that 
told  her  his  life  was  far  removed  from  such  coarse  indulgences. 
Scarce  knowing  why,  she  conceived  a  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling 
against  such  scenes — a  revulsion  deadened  now  by  familiarity  with 
them — that  made  her  long  for  an  end  to  all  this. 

"You  have  made  no  comment  on  my  poor  song,"  said  she  to  Ta- 
ke. "Perhaps  it  was  not  to  your  taste,  or  that  you  prefer  the  bal- 
lads of  the  sea,  which  are  doubtless  commoner  in  your  northern 
country." 
"You  can  hear  them  best  when  the  tides  are  washing  the  eels  in 


THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

among  the  kelp,"  remarked  Goto  with  a  smile  of  drowsy  good  na- 
ture. "It  was  there  that  Taro  was  born — I  will  drink  another  cup 
of  sake  to  Taro." 

He  refilled  his  cup  with  an  unsteady  hand  and  drained  part  of 
it,  then  sat  regarding  the  two  with  a  look  of  fatherly  benevolence. 

"Our  northern  customs  and  melodies  may  seem  rough  when  com- 
pared with  your  softer  practices  of  the  southlands,"  said  Take, 
with  a  slight  hiccough,  "but  in  the  north  our  hearts  still  beat  true 
and  unswerving  to  the  Nippon  of  our  fathers,  nor  have  we  ever 
cast  aside  the  mantle  of  our  Bushido  at  the  bidding  of  a  half  'For- 
eign' government." 

He  picked  up  her  samisen  as  he  spoke  and  strummed  reminis- 
cently  a  weird,  unnameable  sort  of  dirge  as  boundless  in  its  effect 
as  the  sweep  of  the  great  ocean.  Goto  laughed  happily — he  knew 
not  why. 

"G'is  song,  Take,"  said  he ;  "song  of  the  sea." 
Take  laid  aside  Ren-ko's  samisen. 

"Songs  of  the  sea  are  sad,"  said  he,  "and  I  would  rather  be  gay, 
tonight.  Give  me  another  cup  of  sake,  and  I  will  tell  you  instead 
a  foolish  little  story  of  the  denizens  of  the  deep." 

Ren-ko,  inwardly  protesting,  served  him  a  meager  cup  of  wine, 
after  having  first — according  to  rigid  Yoshiwara  etiquette — seen 
that  host  Goto's  cup  was  replenished.  Then  Take,  tossing  off  the 
liquor  in  a  seeming  reckless  mood,  arose  suddenly  and  threw  his 
arms  out,  knocking  over  a  nearby  screen. 

A  moment  or  so  he  gyrated  about  the  room,  making  motions 
with  his  arms  and  body  as  though  of  one  swimming,  and  finally 
came  to  a  step  near  the  table  where  Goto  was  watching  him  with 
a  now  almost  vacant  stare. 

"In  a  great  sea  pool,"  began  Take,  "once  dwelt  a  school  of  tai, 
happy,  prosperous ;  finding  their  spawning  and  feeding  beds  suffi- 
cient for  all  their  needs.  One  fine  watery  day,  one  among  them  de- 
cided to  swim  past  the  mouth  of  the  happy  pool  and  see  what  was 
beyond.  So  he  bade  farewell  to  his  kin,  and  went  out  to  the  great 
sea — very  inquisitive  and  also  very  foolish. 

"There  he  came  upon  a  school  of  dolphins  who  were  disporting 
themselves  in  the  long,  undulating  swells.  These  leaped  up  so" — 


BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR 

Take  here  made  a  half  drunken  attempt  to  mimic  the  diving  of 
dolphin — "and  came  down  so,  while  the  inquisitive  tai  watched 
their  antics  in  open-mouthed  admiration.  Finally  he  asked  one  of 
the  dolphin  why  he  leapt  and  dived  in  this  extraordinary  manner. 
"  'And  how  else  should  I  progress  on  my  way  ?'  asked  the  dolphin. 
"'Why,  by  swimming  quietly  along  as  I  do,'  replied  the  tai. 

"The  dolphin  puffed  a  great  line  of  bubbles,  which  is  the  fish  way 
of  laughing  derisively. 

"'You  are  but  an  ignorant  fellow,'  said  he,  'who  apparently  knows 
naught  of  the  great  life  of  the  seas.  Whence  do  you  come,  and 
what  are  you  ?' 

"'I  am  of  the  tai  folk/  answered  the  inquisitive  seeker,  'and  I 
come  from  a  beautiful  pool,  past  the  kelp  in-shore.' 
'"And  have  you  never  seen  any  of  us  king  dolphin  before?'  quer- 
ied the  dolphin. 

'"Nay/  replied  the  tai,  'for  no  strange  fish  are  allowed  to  enter 
our  pool.' 

'"I  can  perceive  that  such  may  very  well  have  been  the  case/  re- 
joined the  magnificent  dolphin,  diving  again.  When  he  came  about 
on  his  course  once  more,  he  stopped  by  the  still  watching  tai. 
"'Look  you,  friend/  said  he,  'I  can  perceive  that  despite  your  ig- 
norance you  are  a  fish  of  very  fine  scales.  Lead  us,  therefore,  to 
this  home  pool  of  yours,  and  when  we  arrive  there  we  will  sit  you 
on  the  throne  of  the  tai  fish  and  teach  the  other  tai  how  to  leap 
and  dive  as  do  we.' 

"Now  the  tai  thought  that  this  was  a  very  good  idea,  so  he  did  as 
the  dolphin  bade,  returning  to  his  people  to  become  their  ruler. 
With  him  came  the  dolphin,  and  so  curious  was  the  impression 
they  immediately  created  upon  the  tai  that  most  of  these  latter 
soon  started  imitating  the  dolphin,  until  finally  they  became  a  new 
specie  of  fish,  half  dolphin,  half  tai.  Then  the  dolphin  settled  down 
among  them,  and  were  given  many  very  fine  spawning  and  feed- 
ing beds,  and  soon  the  pool  became  the  rendezvous  of  a  multitude 
of  all  sorts  of  fishes,  so  that  the  customs  and  forms  of  the  tai  were 
about  forgotten." 

Take  san  paused  a  moment  and  looked  about  him,  for  a  gentle 
snoring  had  interrupted  his  tale.  He  noticed  that  Goto  was  fast 


194  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

asleep,  his  head  sunken  on  his  great  chest,  evidently  dreaming 
blissfully,  to  judge  by  the  expression  of  happy  serenity  depicted 
on  his  countenance. 

"My  story,  if  not  instructive,  is  at  all  events  soothing,"  remarked 
Take  to  Ren-ko,  who  sat  with  her  chin  in  the  palm  of  her  hand, 
listening  intently. 

"Say,  rather,  it  is  so  graphic  in  its  telling,"  she  replied,  "that, 
like  the  motion  of  waves,  it  has  rocked  the  baron  to  sleep." 

"It  interests  you  ?"  asked  Take,  with  a  look  and  gesture  in  which 
there  were  no  traces  of  his  recent  apparent  intoxication. 

"Excessively,"  she  replied,  quietly.  "I  am  all  anxious  to  learn 
the  sequel." 

"There  is  little  more  to  tell — yet,"  said  he.  "This  inquisitive  tai 
continued  opening  up  the  once  secluded  pool  to  every  specie  of 
fish,  till  finally  some  of  the  few  tai  who  had  remained  staunch  to 
their  old  customs  and  thoughts,  gathered  together  and  elected  one 
of  their  number  spokesman  and  leader.  Then  said  this  one: 
"'Lo,  this  tai  fellow  of  our  folk  is  despoiling  our  sacred  waters, 
and  has  given  away  to  these  dolphin  many  of  the  best  of  our 
spawning  and  feeding  grounds.  He  and  the  rest  of  our  brethren 
are  traitors,  for  they  are  no  longer  true  tai,  but  half  dolphin.  Soon 
we  shall  be  forced  to  roam  the  seas  without,  where  we  shall  be 
ever  in  danger  from  passing  shark  and  the  perils  of  the  deep.  Let 
us  therefore  attack  this  tai  and  his  followers  and  drive  them, 
with  the  other  intruders,  away  from  our  pool  forever'." 

"And  did  they  so  ?"  asked  Ren-ko,  as  he  hesitated. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  answered;  "the  rest  of  the  story  is  yet  to  be 
told." 

She  regarded  him  a  moment,  and  became  convinced  of  two 
things ;  first,  that  he  was  not,  and  had  not  been,  intoxicated  as  she 
had  at  first  thought,  and  secondly,  that  he  was  either  opposed  to 
the  present  government  or  else  a  spy  from  it.  Yet,  as  the  com- 
panion of  Goto — who  still  snored  peacefully  and  guilelessly — she 
hardly  believed  this  latter  to  be  the  case.  She  determined  to  test 
him,  and  if  he  were  really  sincere,  to  angle  for  his  name  to  her 
father's  document  herself.  Coming  a  trifle  closer  to  him,  she  ad- 
dressed him  in  an  almost  whisper : 


BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR  195 

"I  admire  your  story  no  less  than  your  manner  of  telling  it," 
said  she,  smiling  sweetly  upon  him.  "Indeed  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  allegory  you  picture  by  your  fish  and  the  secluded  bay  might 
also  read  Japan,  and  those  who  wish  her  saved  from  the  tai  who 
have  become  dolphin." 

"You  have  caught  just  my  meaning,"  said  he,  in  tones  equally 
low. 

"Yet,  you  seem  to  side  with  the  true  tai,"  she  observed. 

"I  told  you  that  we  of  the  north  are  still  loyal  to  our  old  Nip- 
pon," he  answered. 

Ren-ko  mused  a  moment. 

"It  seems  a  thousand  pities  that  such  nobility  of  purpose  should 
be  confined  to  allegory  alone,"  she  observed,  half  to  herself. 

"Who  knows  if  it  always  will,"  hinted  Take,  darkly.  "There  are 
still  some  loyal  spirits  known  to  me  who  might  some  day  assume 
the  roles  of  the  tai." 

"And  you?"  whispered  Ren-ko,  "if  the  opportunity  were  shown 
you,  would  you  help  drive  out  the  half  dolphin?" 

"Ah,  if  I  could  but  be  afforded  the  chance !"  he  exclaimed. 

She  edged  a  little  nearer  to  him,  and  leaned  so  that  her  parted 
lips  almost  brushed  his  ear. 

"Supposing,"  she  said  in  the  faintest  of  whispers,  "that  some- 
one should  show  you  how  a  blow  might  be  struck  for  Japan — 
would  you  be  one  to  strike?" 

"A  thousand!"  he  whispered  back,  fiery  ardor  in  his  tones.  "I 
would  never  cease  striking  while  breath  were  left  in  my  body. 
But  who  could  show  me  the  way  ?" 

She  glanced  at  the  still  snoring  Goto  apprehensively,  and  then 
whispered  again  in  his  ear : 

"Supposing  I  could  ?" 

"Can  you?" 

"Perhaps." 

"But  why?" 

"Oh,  dear !"  she  pouted.  "Is  it  necessary  that  one  must  give  the 

whys  and  wherefores  of  everything — and  I  a  woman?  Supposing, 

then,  it  were  because  I  have  become  greatly  drawn  toward  you." 

She  blushed  exquisitely  and  hid  her  face  behind  her  fan.  Take 

clasped  her  hand  in  his  and  pressed  it  to  his  heart,  rapturously. 


196  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Ah,  if  you  would  but  show  me  such  an  opportunity !"  he  ex- 
claimed. 

"Ma-a-a-a!"  said  she,   derisively,   laying  a  delicately  tapering 
finger  on  his  lips  in  admonishment ;  "we  were  only  supposing.  Let 
us  confine  ourselves  to  that — it  is  safer  so." 
He  nodded  eagerly. 

"Supposing,  then,"  she  continued,  "that  I  should  tell  you  of  a 
great  conspiracy  to  free  our  country  from  the  dolphin?" 

"Yes  ?"  said  he,  all  anxiety. 

"And  supposing,"  she  went  on  with  a  provokingly  pretty  smile, 
"that  I  should  add  that  the  Flower  Quarter  was  where  it  held  its 
meetings  ?" 

He  nodded  again,  too  intent  to  answer. 

"And  supposing — oh,  supposing  that  I  should  confide  in  you  still 
further,  and  tell  you  that  this  meeting  place  was — was  in  The 
Jewel  River?" 

"Is  that  true?"  he  asked. 

"How  you  do  insist  on  a  literality !"  she  pouted,  plaintively.  "I 
told  you  that  we  were  only  to  suppose.  Even  then  a  careless  word 
from  you  might  prove  my  undoing." 
He  pressed  her  hand  to  his  heart  again. 

"I  swear  to  you,"  said  he,  "that  you  shall  not  regret  your  con- 
fidence." 

"Well,  supposing  if  such  an  opportunity  did  exist — " 

"Here?" 

"Here,  and—" 

"A  plan  to  overthrow  the  present  government?" 

"The  dolphin  folk—" 

"When  may  I  know  ?"  he  whispered. 

"Now — if  you  are  ready." 

"I  am." 

"But  first,  I  am  sacrificing  much,  perhaps ;  what  am  I  to  get  in 
return  for  my  risk  ?" 

"Anything  you  choose  to  ask." 

"Even  if  that  anything  were  yourself?" 

"That  would  be  no  hard  thing  to  forfeit  to  you,"  he  smiled. 
Suddenly  she  withdrew  her  hand  from  his,  and  clasped  his  face 


BY  THE  TAVERN  DOOR  197 

between  her  two  warm  palms,  scanning  his  features  as  though  she 
would  read  behind  this  mask  of  life. 

"I  will  tell  you — yes  you,  and  you  only,"  said  she,  "relying  on 
your  promise  to  give  yourself  to  me  provided  I  tell  you  the  name 
of  a  conspiracy  against  the  government,  and  its  meeting  place." 
Again  she  just  touched  his  ear  with  her  lips. 

"In  the  Flower  Quarter,"  she  whispered,  "in  this  very  street,  in 
this  house — are  you  sure  of  your  intentions  and  promise  to  me?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  he,  impatiently ;  "I  swear  it !" 

"Was  planned,"  said  she,  slowly  and  apprehensively,  "the  Saga 
rebellion !" 

He  fell  back  from  her,  from  his  knees  to  his  heels,  in  sheer  as- 
tonishment. 

"The  Saga  rebellion !"  he  repeated,  puzzled  for  the  moment. 
"Why  that  failed  two  years  ago !" 

"I  know  it,"  she  answered  tranquilly;  "but,  oh,  just  think  how 
different  might  have  been  the  result  had  you  been  there  to  aid  the 
true  tai !" 

He  looked  steadily  at  her,  chagrin  his  most  apparent  feeling. 
Presently  this  gave  place  to  admiration. 

"Possibly,"  he  replied,  quietly,  "unless  I  chanced  to  talk  with  a 
false  tai  first." 

Just  then  an  attendant  entered,  and  kneeling  close  beside  Ren- 
ko,  whispered  something  to  her.  As  the  servant  withdrew,  she 
arose,  and  bowed  low  to  Take. 

"I  must  bid  you  sayonara  now,"  said  she,  prettily ;  "I  have  to  fill 
a  previous  engagement.  I  shall  hope  to  see  you  soon  again." 

"When  I  shall  hope  to  convince  you  that  the  tai  are  really  the 
true  fish,"  he  added. 

"I  am  willing  now  to  admit  one  remarkable  quality  they  pos- 
sess," she  replied — "their  marvelous  powers  of  recuperation  from 
the  effects  of  apparently  deep  libations.  Pray  make  my  humble 
farewells  to  your  much  less  endowed  companion,  the  baron.  Say- 
onara." 

She  went  lightly  from  the  room,  laughing  softly,  and  Take  sud- 
denly recalled,  that  but  a  short  time  since  he  had  been  supposedly 
quite  intoxicated. 


198  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

As  the  shoji  closed  behind  her,  he  crossed  to  Goto's  side  and 
endeavored  to  arouse  him. 

"Come,  baron,"  said  he,  shaking  the  still  sleeping  Goto  lightly. 
"It  is  time  we  were  moving." 
Goto  partially  awoke  with  a  jerk. 

"Hi,  th'  ruff'n  sta'mn!"  he  ejaculated,  sternly,  "shake  not  my 
n'ro'mno  about  so  carelessly !" 

Evidently  his  pleasant  dreams  had  taken  him  back  into  the  good 
old  days  when  he  was  Hoku-no-kami.  He  relapsed  again  imme- 
diately into  a  series  of  stentorian  snores. 

"Come,  come,  baron !"  insisted  Take  a  trifle  louder,  shaking  his 
companion  less  gently.  "We  are  going  home." 

"Going  home !"  repeated  Goto,  awakening  for  the  second  time. 
"Going  home !"  He  regarded  Take  vacantly. 
"The  stag  leaves  his  pool  only  when  the  sun  rises',"  he  said  sol- 
emnly. 

Take,  realizing  that  Goto — who,  because  of  an  artifice,  had  been 
made  unconsciously  to  drink  his  guest's  share  of  the  sake  as  well 
as  his  own — would  require  assistance  to  reach  his  awaiting  'rick- 
sha, stepped  to  the  shoji  to  summon  an  attendant.  As  he  slid  the 
shoji  he  perceived  a  figure,  on  the  opposite  balcony,  stop  at  the 
second  room  from  the  head  of  the  back  stairway  and  call  some- 
thing in  a  low  voice  thrice.  The  shoji  of  the  room  opened,  and  he 
saw  Ren-ko  awaiting  to  admit  the  visitor.  The  latter  entered  her 
apartment ;  the  glimmer  from  the  andon  within  disclosed  his  fea- 
tures, they  were  unmistakably  those  of  Lord  Saito  of  Satsuma. 
Take  san,  keeping  himself  well  concealed,  attracted  the  attention 
of  a  passing  servant,  and,  after  discharging  the  score  for  the 
evening's  entertainment,  proceeded  to  the  task  of  assisting  to  con- 
vey the  still  peacefully  sleeping  Goto  to  his  'ricksha. 


XV 

THE   PIECES   OF   THE   GAME 

But  helpless  Pieces  of  the  Game  He  plays 
Upon  this  Chequer-board  of  Nights  and  Days; 

Hither  and  thither  moves,  and  checks,  and  slays, 
And  one  by  one  back  in  the  Closet  lays. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

1  HE  next  day  the  Marquis  Yo-Ake  and  his  son  were  closeted  to- 
gether some  little  time,  during  which  the  events  of  the  preceding 
night  were  made  clear  to  the  former. 

"I  admit  that  the  matter  assumes  a  most  difficult  aspect/'  ob- 
served Lord  Yo-Ake  at  the  conclusion  of  the  tale.  "Evidently  you 


2OO  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

are  dealing  with  one  exceptionally  clever  for  her  sex,  and  doubt- 
less as  unscrupulous  as  she  is  clever — she  would  scarcely  have 
been  Saburo  Ikeda's  progeny  and  otherwise.  Yet,  to  me,  there 
seems  no  other  way  of  solving  this  riddle  than  by  what  you  may 
learn  through  her  of  her  father  and  Saito's  plans — that  is  always 
providing  she  does  not  penetrate  your  incognito." 

"Another  danger,"  agreed  Tokiyori,  "not  so  much  from  her,  nor 
Ikeda,  as  from  Saito.  My  personality  is  much  better  known  to  him 
than  to  her  father,  and  as  he  is  evidently  persona  grata  with  the 
lady  in  question,  I  am  likely  to  come  face  to  face  with  him  there 
at  any  time.  Of  course  such  a  catastrophe  would  end  my  mission." 
The  marquis  pondered  a  moment.  He  recalled  that  Saito  had 
once  been  an  admirer  of  Kiku-ko's,  and  encouraged  in  his  visits  to 
Moto — much  to  old  Nakahara's  disgust — for  very  similar  reasons 
to  those  which  now  presented  themselves  for  wishing  to  keep  Sai- 
to where  he  could  be  more  easily  observed.  The  same  simple  meth- 
ods might  as  efficaciously  be  employed ;  for  Lord  Yo-Ake — ever 
a  shrewd  observer  of  what  passed  beneath  his  eye — believed  that 
all  memory  of  those  days  at  Biwa-ko  had  not  been  effaced  either 
from  Kiku-ko's  or  Saito's  recollections. 

"You  may  set  your  mind  at  rest  regarding  any  danger  of  meet- 
ing Saito  at  this  Jewel  River,  provided  you  keep  me  accurately  in- 
formed as  to  the  hours  of  your  anticipated  visits  there,  I  think," 
said  he  to  his  son.  "He  doubtless  will  be  returning  to  Satsuma 
shortly,  and  meanwhile  I  may  find  some  way  of  attracting  his 
time  and  attention  elsewhere.  Goto's  aptitude  for  sake  will  prove 
of  great  benefit  to  you,  for,  while  his  company  will  serve  as  pro- 
tection to  you  and  your  purposes,  his  proclivities  in  that  respect 
may  apparently  be  counted  upon  to  render  him  oblivious  to  what 
is. going  on  about  him.  I  should  always  take  him  with  me,  were  I 
you,  Tokiyori." 

"I  do  not  know  whether  that  will  be  always  possible,"  remarked 
Tokiyori.  "I  had  considerable  difficulty  in  inducing  him  to  accom- 
pany me  this  time,  necessitating  my  ascribing  my  desires  to  visit 
the  Yoshiwara  to  causes  which  I  am  sure  have  lowered  his  esti- 
mation of  me  considerably." 
The  marquis  smiled  slightly. 


THE  PIECES  OF  THE  GAME  2OI 

"I  compliment  you  upon  your  acting,"  said  he,  "but  I  would  give 
a  good  deal  to  know  whether  it  equally  deceived  the  girl,  also." 

"She  is  unfathomable,"  answered  his  son;  "but  of  one  thing  I 
feel  sure—" 

"Yes?" 

"That  it  will  take  many  more  visits,  and  a  much  more  appealing 
way  of  paying  them,  before  her  confidence  may  be  counted  as 
won." 

He  arose  to  take  his  departure,  but  his  father  detained  him  a 
moment  longer. 

"By  the  way,  Tokiyori,"  said  he,  "I  wish  you  would  see  that  the 
government  makes  an  application  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment for  the  admission  of  my  protege,  young  Midzu-hara — Ma- 
ta's  stepson — to  its  naval  academy  as  a  student.  It  may  be  neces- 
sary to  represent  him  as  the  son  of  the  Marquis  Yo-Ake  to  gain 
this — I  am  not  informed  as  to  the  required  rank  of  intending  ca- 
dets— if  such  should  be  the  case,  describe  him  as  such,  pray." 

"I  will  attend  to  that  at  once,"  said  Tokiyori.  "Is  there  anything 
further?" 

"Not  that  I  can  think  of,"  answered  the  marquis,  "excepting  to 
ask  you  how  my  young  friend's — Mr.  Taro  Goto — scheme  of  la- 
bor emigration  is  progressing?" 

"Favorably,  I  believe,"  replied  Tokiyori.  "The  Diet  is  assisting 
in  preparing  the  people's  mind  for  its  reception." 
Lord  Yo-Ake  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Mr.  Taro  is  a  most  lucky  young  man — the  idea  will  enrich  him, 
even  if  it  does  not  help  the  poor  emigrant." 

"Why  should  it  not  help  the  emigrant,  father  ?" 

"Because,  my  son,  I  have  an  idea  that,  as  Mr.  Taro  purposes  ad- 
vancing the  original  amount  for  their  passage  to  America,  they 
are  likely  to  remain  heavily  in  Mr.  Taro's  debt  for  some  time  to 
come,  in  which  event,  of  course,  the  laborers  will  be  working  in 
America  for  virtually  what  they  can  receive  by  laboring  here  at 
home.  Well,  well,  he  is  a  very  clever  young  man,  Mr.  Taro,  and  as 
for  the  poor  laborers,  let  us  hope  that — as  the  'Foreigners'  say — 
Heaven  will  temper  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb." 

"I  do  not  know  that  the  'Foreigners"  Scriptures  have  applied 


2O2  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

that  phrase  to  exactly  the  condition  of  affairs  you  depict,"  replied 
Tokiyori,  smiling. 

"Their  application  of  phrases  is  most  catholic,  I  think,"  replied 
Lord  Yo-Ake;  "their  precepts  very  instructive — at  times.  I  have 
an  admiration,  Tokiyori,  for  much  in  the  so  called  Apocrypha — 
although  I  do  not  so  greatly  concur  with  the  New  Testament.  It 
seems  to  me  a  mistake  that  the  Christus  should  have  founded  the 
keynote  of  his  life  on  a  creed  of  such  utter  self  abnegation  and 
self-annihilation.  I  have  thought  he  might  have  used  the  Romans 
most  advantageously  in  his  dealings  with  the  Jews." 

"His  life  was  one  of  perfect  sacrifice,"  commented  Tokiyori;  "a 
Hebrew  Kuranosuke,  as  it  were." 

"Ah,  yes;  undoubtedly,"  answered  the  marquis.  "Still  I  confess 
to  a  greater  admiration  for  that  most  wise  king,  Solomon.  There 
was  a  character,  Tokiyori.  Witness  his  most  able  handling  of  the 
labor  question  in  his  time.  Without  his  policy  of  keeping  his  arti- 
sans at  home  the  great  temple  would  never  have  been  built." 

"Conditions  were  different  then,"  dissented  Tokiyori.  "Israel 
was  a  much  older  nation  than  are  we  in  our  present  form,  and 
the  demand  for  skilled  labor  at  home  greater." 

"Ah,  no,"  objected  the  marquis,  "I  must  take  issue  with  you 
there.  I  scarce  think  there  can  ever  be  a  fundamental  divergence 
of  conditions  on  that  all  important  topic.  The  times  advance  or 
retrograde,  and  with  them  we  progress  or  decline,  but  the  inher- 
ent principles  of  communal  constitution  remain  the  same.  No  cor- 
porate body  may  disassociate  itself  from  its  vertebra  without  sub- 
jecting the  entire  system  to  coma — and  the  laborer  is  undoubted- 
ly the  backbone  of  the  nation.  Europe,  shortsightedly  as  I  believe, 
regards  this  class  as  the  least  important  of  its  natural  fabrics,  and 
has  allowed  it  to  emigrate  in  vast  numbers,  thus  upbuilding  an 
alien  republic.  The  laborer  is  in  essence  the  working  bee  of  the 
hive,  and  every  laborer  lost  to  a  nation  I  regard  as  a  nation's  dis- 
tinct loss." 

"The  Diet  has  consented  to  assist  Taro  Goto  because  it  believes 
that  by  an  opportunity  afforded  to  acquire  modern  agricultural 
methods  abroad,  they  will  ultimately  improve  agricultural  condi- 
tions at  home.  Otherwise  it  is  a  matter  of  no  importance  as  to 
whether  Taro  himself  makes  money  or  loses  it." 


THE  PIECES  OF  THE  GAME  2O3 

"Looking  at  it  through  Mr.  Taro's  eyes,"  said  Lord  Yo-Ake,  I 
admit  it  has  all  the  appearance  of  being  a  most  excellent  idea,  and 
one  that  should  net  him  a  very  handsome  percentage  from  his  or- 
iginal outlay;  still  there  is  another  point  of  view  which,  in  their 
haste  to  comply  with  Mr.  Taro's  wishes,  the  Diet  has  evidently 
overlooked.  I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  withdrawal 
of  our  chief  means  of  production  must  inevitably  result  in  an  in- 
crease of  the  cost  of  living  and  a  partial  paralysis  of  home  indus- 
tries, largely  affecting  our  exports.  This,  because  I  doubt  not  that 
the  great  bulk  of  our  laborers,  lured  by  roseate  dreams  of  receiv- 
ing yen  sixty  per  month,  will  flock  to  America.  Now,  putting  aside 
these  minor  objections  for  the  moment,  I  would  direct  your  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  under  our  proposed — and,  I  believe,  accepted 
— plan  of  military  organization,  our  laboring  class  is  to  become 
our  second  fighting  line.  Let  us  say,  then — granting  that  there  is 
the  possibility  of  our  one  day  expanding  territorially,  that  the 
evacuation  of  an  army  of  occupation  of  ours — speaking  in  a  fig- 
urative sense  for  the  purpose  of  illustration — is  made  compulsory 
from  disputed,  or  acquired,  territory.  Under  our  present  plans  the 
places  of  such  an  army  could  at  once  be  taken  by  our  laborers, 
each  a  skilled  and  trained  soldier;  a  system  to  which  no  possible 
adversary  could  offer  any  legal  or  logical  objection.  With  the  re- 
moval from  our  midst  of  our  laboring  class,  all  plans  for  such  or- 
ganization must,  of  course,  be  abandoned.  I  do  not  think  the  Diet 
can  have  studied  this  view  of  the  question,  or  else  it  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed they  would  have  been  more  chary  of  assisting  Mr.  Taro  to 
empty  the  country  of  its  producer  and  second  fighting  line." 

"To  have  prevented  Taro's  plans — especially  after  they  had  been 
publicly  advertised  to  the  masses — would  have  raised  up  a  tre- 
mendous opposition  against  the  government  at  a  time  when  we 
could  least  afford  it."  defended  Tokiyori. 

"No  form  of  good  government  may  prosper  without  a  strong  op- 
position," negatived  Lord  Yo-Ake.  "Intensity  of  feeling  against  is 
one  of  the  stepping  stones  by  which  we  should  walk  onwards,  my 
son.  It  is  well,  of  course,  to  have  friends,  even  if  one  has  to  use 
one's  enemies  in  that  capacity,  but  as  to  the  voices  of  the  masses 
they  accomplish  nothing.  They  but  cry  'Death !'  today  for  that  at 


2O4  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

which  they  cry  'Life!'  tomorrow.  They  are  blunt  tools,  to  be  used 
as  such,  my  son." 

"Must  we  never  have  relations  with  others  excepting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  them  our  tools?"  asked  Tokiyori. 

"It  is  an  inherent  principle  of  life — both  in  its  separate  and  col- 
lective form — that  we  must  all  be  of  use,  each  to  the  other,"  re- 
plied Lord  Yo-Ake,  suavely.  "Remains  but  whether  one  is  to  be 
of  use  to  one's  kind,  my  son,  or  whether  one's  kind  is  to  be  of  use 
to  one.  I  presume,"  he  added  with  the  faintest  suspicion  of  a 
smile,  "that  you  are  very  often  inclined  to  regard  me  as  a  most 
useless  old  man,  yet,  I  assure  you,  it  is  unavoidable." 

He  remained  thinking  for  some  time  after  the  departure  of  his 
son,  and  then  calling  a  servant  to  bring  his  winter  walking  ap- 
parel, left  the  yashiki  for  a  morning  call  upon  his  daughter-in- 
law. 

On  the  way  thither,  he  paused  a  moment,  and  smiled  sardoni- 
cally to  himself. 

"After  all,"  he  observed,  half  aloud,  "I  am  very  glad  that  Toki- 
yori was  always  kept  in  ignorance  regarding  Kiku-ko's  feelings 
for  Saito.  I  have  felt  that  his  ignorance  might  be  useful  some  day." 

He  strolled  on  toward  the  besso,  musing. 

"Human  nature,"  he  observed  to  himself,  "is  much  like  a  pic- 
turesque lake — extraneously.  As  we  pass  placidly  across  its  calm 
surface  we  are  enthralled  by  the  beauty  of  its  hidden  life,  the  per- 
fection of  its  flora  and  the  coloring  of  its  fauna.  Its  hidden  dan- 
gers but  tempt  the  swimmer  into  greater  depths,  and  the  touch  of 
its  seeming  purity  to  our  jaded  senses  is  like  the  caressing  of  its 
own  nymphs.  So  does  it  too  often  appear — cool,  clear  and  invit- 
ing. But  when  some  scientific  delver,  collecting  a  cup  full  of  its 
liquid,  spills  but  a  drop  of  it  beneath  the  lense  of  his  microscope, 
he  discovers  there  that  which,  if  interesting,  is  most  repellant  in 
its  crawliness." 

He  gained  the  besso  gateway  and  turned  to  enter. 

During  the  past  week,  Taro  had  sunk  into  a  state  of  mental  de- 
pression bordering  on  melancholia,  greatly  to  the  consternation  of 
his  uncle,  nor  could  either  remonstrances  or  cajolings  on  Goto's 


THE  PIECES  OF  THE  GAME  2O5 

part  induce  him  to  a  more  cheerful  frame  of  mind.  Realizing  that 
Taro's  present  unhappiness  was  due  to  the  impossibility  of  his 
being  with  Breath  of  Mukojima — always  now  otherwise  engaged 
— poor  Goto  was  overcome  with  the  utmost  remorse  at  the  du- 
plicity he  had  permitted  himself  to  be  inveigled  into  by  what  he 
regarded  as  the  machinations  of  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake.  He  heartily 
wished,  at  least  a  hundred  times  a  day,  that  he  had  had  nothing 
whatsoever  to  do  with  either  the  latter  or  The  Jewel  River,  and 
determined  to  break  off  all  connections  with  both  in  that  respect 
as  soon  as  should  be  politic.  Moreover,  he  was  somewhat  ashamed 
of  the  role  of  old  roue  he  had  been  so  successfully  portraying  re- 
cently, and  devoutly  wished  that  Tokiyori  would  suggest  dispens- 
ing with  his  further  company  to  such  scenes  of  debauchery.  This 
latter  desire  was  occasioned  by  a  missive  just  received  from  the 
subject  of  his  thoughts,  which  he  was  but  now  perusing,  which 
reminded  the  baron  of  his  promise  on  the  previous  evening  to 
again  accompany  him  to  The  Jewel  River  the  night  after — which, 
of  course,  would  be  tonight.  Goto  could  not  deny  the  promise,  for 
the  very  obvious  reason  that  he  could  not  remember  what  had 
transpired  during  the  latter  part  of  the  evening  in  The  Jewel 
River,  and  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  headachy  morning  try- 
ing to  solve  just  exactly  how  he  had  happened  to  find  himself  in 
his  own  bed  on  awakening,  and  his  chances  of  having  attained  it 
unobserved  by  Taro. 

He  wondered,  too,  what  loadstone  in  Ren-ko's  eyes  was  com- 
pelling Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  toward  a  probable  unpleasant  scandal. 
Goto,  as  a  man  of  the  world,  could  very  well  understand  a  liaison 
between  one  situated  even  as  was  Tokiyori  and  an  extremely  pret- 
ty woman  of  whatever  calling,  but  what  he  could  not  comprehend 
was  the  utter  disregard  for  the  outward  observances  in  a  man  so 
placed.  If,  according  to  his  way  of  thinking,  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake 
was  so  greatly  impressed  with  Ikeda's  daughter,  why  not  effect 
her  liberation  from  her  articles  to  The  Jewel  River — a  mere  mat- 
ter of  money — and  install  her  in  some  one  of  the  outskirts  of 
Tokyo?  Or,  if  his  feelings  toward  the  girl  were  not  strong  enough 
to  warrant  such  a  proceeding,  why  these  repeated  visits  to  a  lo- 
cality where,  sooner  or  later,  he  must  become  recognized,  with  an 


2O6  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

inevitable  resultant  scandal  ?  The  more  Goto  thought  over  this  the 
more  puzzled  regarding  Tokiyori's  motives  he  became,  until,  at 
last — urged  thereto  by  the  memory  of  the  melancholy  mien  and 
dejected  mood  of  the  despondent  Taro — he  made  up  his  mind  that 
come  what  might  he  would  wash  his  hands  of  the  whole  affair. 

Toward  this  latter  consummation,  fate — re-incarnated  for  the 
purpose  in  Lord  Asano  Yo-Ake — saved  Goto  further  worry  and 
unpleasantness.  It  was  at  the  end  of  the  fortnight  following  his 
first  dinner  at  The  Jewel  River  with  Tokiyori — a  fortnight  dur- 
ing which  that  abode  had  had  the  pleasure  of  thrice  providing  for 
him,  in  company  with  the  latter,  with  Ren-ko  to  entertain  them — 
that  he  received  simultaneously  two  letters,  one  from  Tokiyori  re- 
questing his  company  for  the  usual  Yoshiwara  jaunt,  and  one 
from  Lord  Yo-Ake  requesting  his  presence  to  Shima  at  dinner 
the  same  evening.  Goto  at  once  accepted  the  marquis'  invitation, 
and  then,  after  dispatching  his  regrets  to  Tokiyori,  made  prepar- 
ations for  what  he  considered  the  asceticism  of  Shima  cookery  by 
consuming  a  dish  of  eels  and  a  bottle  of  sake  on  his  way  thither. 

At  the  same  hour  Tokiyori  was  speeding  toward  the  O-mon  of 
the  Flower  Quarter,  secure  now  in  the  knowledge  that  his  visits 
no  longer  aroused  a  suspicion  as  to  their  intent  in  Ren-ko's  bosom. 
In  a  sense  he  found  this  new  dangerous  game  that  he  was  hazard- 
ing not  without  unusual  fascination — a  fascination  that  increased 
like  an  opiate  with  each  fresh  recurrence  to  it.  At  first  he  had 
viewed  the  matter  of  his  proposed  visits  to  The  Jewel  River  with 
dread,  tempered  strongly  with  absolute  fear  as  to  the  outcome, 
accepting  it  perforce  as  the  only  alternative  to  worse  things,  but, 
gradually,  as  the  quality  of  Ren-ko's  intellect  became  unfolded  to 
him,  and  as  he  found  his  intended  victim  by  no  means  the  meek 
lamb  that  he,  like  a  ravenous  wolf,  was  set  to  devour,  an  admira- 
tion for  her  mentality,  that  taxed  his  own  to  the  utmost,  took  pos- 
session of  him,  and  he  came  to  look  forward  to  each  coming  visit 
with  a  positive  longing.  Perhaps  this  sort  of  mental  gambling  was 
what  he  most  needed — an  intellectual  hypodermic  that  could 
arouse  his  keenest  perception  and  most  vivid  enthusiasm — for  it 
stimulated  him  to  more  desperate  efforts  than  he  would  otherwise 
have  dared  venture.  Also  he  was  not  sorry  that  Goto's  company 


THE  PIECES  OF  THE  GAME  2O? 

was  to  be  dispensed  with,  for  while  the  jovial  baron  invariably 
drank  himself  into  a  state  of  pleasurable  drowsiness  each  night, 
shortly  after  the  final  retirement  of  the  dancing  maids,  he  felt 
there  would  be  less  restraint  when  relieved  of  the  baron's  pres- 
ence. In  fact  Goto,  had  he  but  known  it,  so  far  from  being  a 
wished- for  companion  by  Tokiyori,  was  secretly  regarded  more  in 
the  light  of  a  necessary  evil. 

In  Ren-ko's  case,  it  is  doubtful  if  she  was  quite  aware  of  the 
full  extent  of  her  feelings  at  this  time  toward  this  new  friend, 
Take  san.  To  her  he  was  an  anomaly  that  no  deductions  collected 
from  recent  knowledge  of  the  genus  man  seemed  able  to  solve. 
From  the  outset  she  had  been  convinced  that  he  was  not  as  others 
of  her  acquaintance,  and  yet  she  could  assign  no  definite  niche  in 
humanity  that  he  appeared  as  made  to  fill.  This,  naturally,  devel- 
oped her  feminine  interest  to  the  full,  and  for  some  time  she  had 
regarded  him  with  a  veiled  mistrust,  until,  their  friendship  ripening, 
she  began  to  build  secret  little  air  castles  about  herself  and  Take — 
little  dreams  of  roses  and  gold,  of  jade  landscapes  and  silver  wa- 
terfalls— dear,  unconscious  Eutopias  of  love,  found  too  often, 
alas !  only  in  our  twilight  musings.  Take  had  found  the  one  weak 
spot  in  her  invulnerability — her  intellectuality — and  on  this  he  had 
played  as  adroitly  as  a  harper  on  the  most  delicate  instrument. 
Her  materiality  she  could  have  had  flattered  as  often  as  there 
were  hours  in  the  day ;  the  craving  of  her  mentality  for  recogni- 
tion Take  alone  seemed  capable  of  answering.  Since  the  night  of 
his  first  visit  to  her,  he  had  not  again  sought  to  ingratiate  himself 
by  a  display  of  recklessness  or  bon  vivantry,  but  had  instead  paint- 
ed life  for  her  in  aspects  so  somber  and  so  rose  tinted,  with  such 
depth  of  thought,  epigram,  wit  or  irony,  that  he  had  captivated 
the  best  of  Ren-ko — her  mind — and  chained  it  to  almost  his  bid- 
ding. 

It  was  dark,  for  day  had  faded  into  afterglow,  afterglow  into 
a  thin,  purplish  twilight,  and  twilight  into  a  closed-in  chamber, 
even  as  a  black  drape  might  be  let  down  to  hide  an  andon  in  an 
adjoining  apartment.  Ren-ko  stood,  as  was  often  her  custom,  up- 
on the  upper  balcony  of  The  Jewel  River,  looking  down  upon  the 
constant  little  old  umbrella  man  and  the  ever-changing  panorama 


2O8  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

of  curious  humans.  February  was  drawing  to  the  end  of  its  visit, 
but  its  snow  remained,  like  some  belated  guest  to  the  Flower 
Quarter,  warning  that  March  would  enter  upon  its  moon-rule 
prepared  to  keep  up  its  time-honored  reputation.  Ren-ko  watched 
the  throngs  with  an  indifference  born  of  familiarity,  until  she  es- 
pied a  'ricksha  detach  itself  from  the  congesting  traffic  and  turn 
sharply  down  the  Street  of  the  Sorrow-Love.  Then  she  gave  a 
faint,  happy  little  sigh,  for — although  she  could  not  see  the  figure 
beneath  the  'ricksha  hood — her  woman's  instinct  had  bidden  her 
heart  quicken  its  throbbing,  and  Ren-ko  knew. 

A  moment  longer  she  lingered  on  the  balcony  dreaming  such 
opal  dreams — wild  thoughts  of  putting  all  this  life  far,  far  be- 
hind her — of  forgetting  the  sights  and  drone  of  the  Nightless 
Street  in  some  flower-clad  besso  near  the  northern  headlands, 
where  the  waves  would  hum  and  roar  beneath  pure,  uncovered 
skies,  and  where  rippling  padi  would  undulate  to  the  background 
of  mountain  walls,  inringed  by  clumps  of  feathery  bamboo,  and 
tinted  with  the  raw,  inburnt  maple. 

It  thrilled,  but  did  not  surprise  her,  when  a  moment  later  a 
voice  called  that  "Miss  Breath  of  Mukojima  was  requested  to  be- 
stow her  company  upon  a  diner  in  the  second  room  from  across 
the  Bridge  of  Love." 


XVI 

THE  BIRD  OF  TIME   IS   WINGING 


Come,  fill  the  Cup,  and  in  the  Fire  of  Spring 
The  Winter-garment  of  Repentance  fling: 
The  Bird  of  Time  has  but  a  little  way 
To  flutter — and  the  Bird  is  on  the  Wing. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

loRN  by  the  harpy  of  unrequited  affection,  Taro  at  that  same 
hour  was  hastening  his  'ricksha  toward  the  Street  of  the  Sorrow- 
Love,  and  so  to  the  rear  exit  of  The  Jewel  River,  when  he  espied 
Saito  in  another  vehicle  just  ahead  of  him,  evidently  journeying 
in  the  same  direction.  Love  sent  to  Taro  wings  of  desire,  but  the 


2IO  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

'ricksha  man — evidently  immune  to  the  little  god — continued  on 
the  same  unvarying  pace  despite  curses  and  entreaties.  He  na- 
turally concluded  that  Saito  had  the  same  destination  in  view — 
The  Jewel  River — and  the  same  object  of  seeking  it — Breath  of 
Mukojima.  Just  then  a  slight  congestion  of  traffic  was  occasioned 
by  the  blunder  of  some  peddler's  cart,  necessitating  a  stoppage  of 
all  vehicles  from  behind  Saito's  'ricksha,  whereby  Taro  arrived 
finally  at  The  Jewel  River  in  time  to  see  Breath  of  Mukojima 
crossing  the  Bridge  of  Love  toward  a  room,  where — so  he  imme- 
diately conjectured — Saito  must  be  awaiting  her.  In  this  presump- 
tion he  verified  in  his  own  person  the  accusation  so  often  made 
against  this  same  love,  for  as  a  matter  of  fact  Saito  was  at  that 
precise  moment  in  Saburo  Ikeda's  room,  awaiting  the  coming  of 
that  worthy,  and  Ren-ko  entering  to  the  presence  of  Take  san. 
Poor  Taro ! 

He  ordered  a  room  for  the  following  evening  and  then  left  The 
Jewel  River  in  a  state  of  perturbation,  for  the  morrow  was  to  be 
his  last  day  in  Tokyo.  At  the  exit  to  the  houses  he  entered  his 
'ricksha,  directing  the  runner  to  convey  him  to  Tokiyori's  besso, 
for  he  had  some  final  matters  concerning  the  Nippon  Land  and 
Emigration  Company's  exportation  of  laborers  to  put  before  the 
Diet,  and  wished  them  presented  through  his  friend. 

Arrived  there  he  was  informed  by  Kiku-ko  that  Tokiyori  was 
absent  on  business  and  not  expected  home  until  quite  late  that 
night,  so  lingered  but  a  moment  to  make  his  farewells  to  his 
friend's  wife.  Throughout  his  call  his  manner  was  so  gloomy  and 
reminiscent  of  blighted  hopes  and  happiness  that  Kiku-ko — who, 
because  of  his  intimacy  with  Tokiyori,  had  come  to  know  him 
fairly  well  during  his  stay  in  Tokyo — rallied  him  upon  his  moody 
preoccupation.  "You  are  as  sad  as  a  broken-hearted  lover,"  she 
said,  jestingly. 

"My  heart  is  broken!"  sighed  poor  Taro.  "How  can  I  laugh?  I 
feel  more  inclined  to  commit  seppuku." 

Kiku-ko  repressed  a  smile  with  difficulty,  for  ancient  rites  and 
modern  clothing  were  ludicrously  incongruous.  Also  Taro's  mis- 
ery had  about  it  a  suggestion  of  the  extreme  humor  depicted  in 
the  throes  of  toothache — when  seen  in  others. 


THE  BIRD  OF  TIME   IS   WINGING  211 

"How  can  you  consider  such  dreadful  things  when  I  understand 
your  Nippon  Land  and  Emigration  Company  is  such  a  success?" 
she  asked. 

"Curse  the  Nippon  Land  and  Emigration  Company!"  muttered 
Taro,  hollowly.  "My  heart  is  shattered  in  a  thousand  fragments, 
countess.  I  shall  never  know  happiness  again." 

"But  who  has  been  so  cruel?"  asked  Kiku-ko,  sympathetically. 

Taro  was  longing  for  just  some  such  chance  to  recount  the 
agonies  of  a  blasted  life. 

"You  may  have  heard,"  said  he,  "that  Saburo  Ikeda — once  Lord 
Ikeda  of  the  Baka-fu,  you  know — has  a  most  beauteous  and  most 
heartless  daughter — no,  no,  I  don't  quite  mean  that;  she  is  as 
sweet  and  good  as  the  cherry  petals  for  whom  she  is  named.  The 
old  scoundrel  sold  her  to  a  house  in  the  Yoshiwara — The  Jewel 
River — and  I  have  come  to  love  her  with  all  my  heart." 

"Can  you  not  effect  her  liberation  ?"  inquired  Kiku-ko. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  he,  "that  would  no  doubt  be  fairly  easy,  for  as  a 
geisha  her  indentures  would  probably  not  be  excessive.  It  is  not 
that  that  troubles  me,  but  the  fact  that  Saito  of  Satsuma  is  her 
evident  preference." 

Kiku-ko  sat  up  suddenly  very  straight. 

"Saito  of  Satsuma !"  she  repeated. 

Taro  nodded,  too  engrossed  upon  his  own  misery  to  note  her 
sudden  change  of  attitude. 

"He's  with  her  always,"  he  went  on ;  "has  been  her  constant  vis- 
itor for  the  past  two  months.  What  she  can  see  in  the  fellow  is 
beyond  me.  A  more  conceited  man  I  never  saw.  Why  he — Oh,  but 
what's  the  use  of  talking!" 

He  sat  in  silence  brooding  for  a  few  moments,  during  which 
Kiku-ko  also  pondered  over  what  she  had  just  learned.  Finally 
Taro  arose  to  take  his  leave. 

"Goodbye,  countess,"  he  said.  "I  leave  for  Yokohama  the  day 
after  tomorrow,  bound  for  America.  I  shall  see  your  husband  at 
his  offices  before  I  go.  Please  say  farewell  to  your  little  daughter 
for  me.  I  shall  send  her  some  small  remembrance  from  America. 
You  have  all  been  most  kind  to  me — goodbye." 

For  a  long  time  after  Taro's  departure  Kiku-ko  sat  by  the  hibat- 


212  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

chi,  wrapt  in  thought.  Finally  the  sound  of  Aysia  and  her  nurse 
returning  from  Shima  aroused  her.  She  arose  quietly  to  welcome 
her  little  daughter,  and  Aysia  noted  that  there  were  traces  of 
tears  in  her  mother's  eyes. 

Meanwhile  Saito  had  been  awaiting  the  coming  of  Ikeda  in  the 
room  used  by  the  conspirators  as  a  meeting  place.  Growing  im- 
patient at  last,  he  slid  the  shoji  to  make  his  exit,  when  he  saw 
Ren-ko  emerging  from  the  room  across  the  balcony,  and  a  mo- 
ment afterwards  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  retiring  toward  the  rear  stair- 
way. One  glance  was  sufficient;  Saito  closed  the  shoji  and  await- 
ed the  coming  of  Ren-ko. 

As  she  entered  he  came  straight  to  the  subject  of  her  recent 
visitor. 

"Whom  were  you  with  just  now?"  he  asked. 

"A  gentleman  from  the  north,  by  the  name  of  Take  san,"  she  re- 
plied, slightly  surprised. 

"From  the  north  ?"  laughed  Saito,  sneeringly.  "What  part  of  the 
north?" 

"Somewhere  near  Sendai,  I  think,"  she  answered,  innocently. 
"Why?" 

"Northern  men  are  of  a  dangerous  and  nameless  breed,"  he  re- 
plied with  a  meaning  intonation. 

"Not  Mr.  Take,"  she  affirmed,  and  with  such  a  tone  and  look 
that  Saito  became  at  once  convinced  of  the  existing  state  of  af- 
fairs. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  fellow  has  been  making  love  to 
you?"  he  asked,  rudely,  because  of  his  sudden  apprehension. 

"I  mean  to  tell  you  nothing  when  you  assume  that  tone,"  she  an- 
swered, now  thoroughly  angry.  "What  right  have  you  to  question 
me  on  such  a  subject?" 

"The  right  of  wishing  to  prevent  your  ruining  yourself,  and  us, 
before  it  is  too  late,"  said  he. 
Ren-ko  opened  her  eyes  wide. 

"You  are  speaking  without  any  knowledge  of  your  subject," 
said  she.  "I  was  about  to  tell  you — when  you  took  the  words  out 


THE  BIRD  OF  TIME   IS   WINGING  213 

of  my  mouth — that  Mr.  Take  is  in  the  utmost  sympathy  with  our 
plans,  and  ready  to  join  us  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"He  told  you  that !"  exclaimed  Saito,  bitterly,  "and  you,  I  sup- 
pose, were  fool  enough  to  credit  it." 

"Why  should  I  not?"  she  asked,  defiantly. 

"Because,"  said  he,  slowly,  "this  man  who  has  evidently  made 
such  convincing  love  to  you — who  has  won  your  affections,  con- 
fidence and  the  knowledge  of  our  plans  from  you — who  is  so 
anxious  to  join  sides  with  us — pah!"  he  broke  off  in  a  sudden 
whirl  of  fury.  "Do  you  know  what  you  have  done,  girl?  Do  you 
know  who  it  is  to  whom  you  have  confided  everything  you 
should  have  held  sacred?  For  whom  it  is  you  have  made  a  fool  of 
yourself  and  a  proclaimed  traitor  of  your  father  and  myself  and 
a  score  of  others — you  the  worse  traitor  of  all?  Well,  your  Mister 
Take  of  the  North,  near  Sendai,  happens  to  be  one  whom  I  know 
intimately — Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  Moto  and  Shima,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Imperial  Diet." 


XVII 

AH!   THE   PASSIVE   LIP    I 


/  think  the  Vessel,  that  with  fugitive 
Articulation  answer'd,  once  did  live, 

And  drink;  and  Ah!  the  passive  Lip  I  kiss'd, 
How  many  Kisses  might  it  take  —  and  givef—ovs.**  KHAYYAM. 


.TOR  the  moment  Ren-ko  was  too  stunned  at  the  receipt  of  this 
intelligence  to  reply.  Granting  the  truth  of  what  Saito  had  just 
said,  it  was  not  of  the  probable  failure  of  her  father's  plans,  nor 
the  resultant  doom  of  her  own  life,  that  she  was  thinking.  She 
cared  nothing  for  the  fact  that  he  —  if  he  were  such  —  this  Take  — 


AH!   THE  PASSIVE  LIP   I   KISS'o!  215 

Tokiyori  Yo-Ake — had  won  from  her,  knowledge  concerning  the 
conspiracy  she  was  set  to  guard,  but  that  he  had  played  upon  her 
feelings,  and  tricked  her  into  an  admission  of  love  for  him — an 
unreserved  admission  that  he  was  doubtless  then  laughing  at — 
was  gall  and  wormwood  to  her  womanly  indignation.  Then  the 
memory  of  the  man — as  she  knew  him — came  back  to  her,  tele- 
pathically,  to  sweep  aside  all  her  doubts  and  fears. 

"You  are  wrong,"  said  she  to  Saito,  proudly.  "You  are  doubtless 
sincere  in  your  belief,  but  you  are  misinformed.  Such  a  man  as 
you  describe  would  be  a  shameless  villain.  Mr.  Take  is  a  gentle- 
man of  Nippon." 

Her  face  was  suffused  with  a  great  belief  in  this  man  whose 
guilt  she  refused  to  credit.  Saito  regarded  her  a  moment,  wonder- 
ing at  the  utter  wilful  unreasonableness  of  her  sex.  Then,  slowly 
and  quietly,  he  proceeded  to  convince  her  of  the  truth. 

"Perhaps  I  am,"  said  he  at  last,  "for  doubtless  Count  Tokiyori 
Yo-Ake — a  man  of  family  ties — would  scarce  come  a-seeking 
pleasures  or  information  in  the  Yoshiwara.  I  believe  you  knew 
his  wife  once — the  Countess  Kiku-ko;  yet,  if  my  memory  serves 
me  correctly,  you  have  never  seen  him.  Let  me  describe  him  to 
you — for  I  know  him  well — so  that  you  may  judge  of  his  similar- 
ity to  your  Mr.  Take  of  the  North,  near  Sendai." 

He  drew  nearer,  fixing  her  unflinchingly  with  his  eye,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  tear  her  credence  in  this  man  into  shreds,  logically,  con- 
vincingly, irresistibly. 

"Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,"  he  continued,  quietly,  "  is  an  inveter- 
ate foe  to  old  Nippon  because  of  his  infatuation  for  'Foreign'  cus- 
toms and  modes,  on  which  account  he  is  most  anti- Japanese  in 
thought  and  action.  In  years  he  is  about  mine  own  age — say  near- 
ing  forty.  In  appearance  he  is  very  slightly — poorly — formed ;  stu- 
dious, yet  chimerical;  grave,  yet  chivalrous.  He  stoops  slightly, 
and  both  gesture  and  voice  are  as  gentle  as  a  woman's.  His  fea- 
tures are  unhandsome,  high  forheaded,  with  a  rounded  full  eye, 
and — oh,  yes,  I  almost  forgot  to  add  that  he  has  a  defect  in  his 
walk,  a  limp  occasioned  by  a  wound  received  from  a  night  attack 
of  the  Baka-fu  troops  in  Yedo.  I  think  that  describes  Tokiyori  Yo- 
Ake  to  the  best  of  my  poor  powers." 


2l6  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

She  listened  intently  during  his  picture  of  Tokiyori,  comparing 
it  point  by  point  with  the  man  whom  she  had  come  to  love  as 
Take  san.  It  coincided,  that  is  there  were  points  of  inexplainable 
coincidences  of  likeness — the  gentle  voice,  the  effeminate  gestures 
— had  she  not  often  remarked  to  herself  this  in  particular  as  she 
served  him  with  tea  and  cakes?  But  when  Saito  came  to  the  de- 
fect in  his  walk,  all  lingering  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  Take  was 
removed  from  Ren-ko's  mind;  the  coincidences  were  too  numer- 
ous for  refutation. 

"And  how  much,"  concluded  Saito,  "have  you  told  this  friend 
of  yours — this  Mister  Take  of  the  North,  Sendai  way — of  our  in- 
tentions and  hopes  ?" 

"I  have  told  him  nothing — as  yet — whereby  he  may  harm  us," 
she  answered,  steadily.  "I  might  have  tomorrow  night,  when  he 
again  visits  me — but,  in  any  case,  I  have  told  him  nothing.  You 
may  believe  me.  But,  had  I  told  him  everything,  it  would  be  of  no 
avail  to  him  now." 

"Why?"  he  asked,  surprised  in  his  turn. 

"Because,"  she  answered,  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  "whether 
Take  san  or  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  he  will  be  one  of  our  party  before 
a  second  sun  has  risen." 

She  left  him,  entering  her  own  room  adjoining,  through  the 
fusima  that  separated  it  from  the  conspirators'  apartment,  while 
Saito,  frankly  perplexed  at  this  sudden  change  of  mood,  left  The 
Jewel  River  to  consider  this  fresh  danger  that  had  arisen. 

Secure  in  the  privacy  of  her  room,  Ren-ko  dropped  upon  the 
mats,  sobbing  to  herself  the  full  shame  and  agony  of  her  be- 
trayed love.  Presently,  the  calmer  moments  succeeding  the  storm, 
she  began  step  by  step  to  review  her  acquaintance  with  Take  san 
— for  so  she  still  preferred  to  designate  him  to  herself. 

From  wondering  at  the  ease  with  which  he  had  been  enabled  to 
entrap  her — for,  despite  her  statement  to  Saito,  Take  had  gained 
from  her  an  admission  that  she  would  not  be  free  from  Tanaka's 
control  until  her  father  and  his  friends  had  succeeded  in  their  re- 
establishment,  denied  them  by  the  present  government — she 
passed  into  a  state  of  still  further  wonder  at  his  powers  as  an  ac- 
tor, his  vivid  portrayal  of  an  assumed  part.  How  had  he  so  easily 


AH!  THE  PASSIVE  LIP  i  Kiss'n!  217 

won  her  love?  Not  by  virtue  of  appearance  certainly,  nor  by  lav- 
ish display  of  wealth — two  adjuncts  most  effective  into  the  good 
graces  of  woman,  for  while  he  had  been  carelessly  generous  in 
the  matter  of  his  expenditures,  he  had  made  no  attempt  to  dazzle 
her  with  the  wealth  she  now  knew  to  be  his.  What  then,  she  asked 
herself  over  and  over  again,  was  it  about  him  that  had  so  attracted 
her?  Ah,  yes,  his  thoughts — given  such  marvelous  expression  to. 
Strange  that  one  should  be  gifted  with  the  power  of  divinely  in- 
spired utterances  but  so  to  misuse  them! — to  garb  his  real  self 
with  a  cloak  of  lies!  Then — unaccountably,  bringing  with  it  a 
world  of  comfort — the  thought  came  to  Ren-ko  that  Saito  had 
been  mistaken  after  all,  not  as  to  Take's  identity,  but  as  to  the 
purpose  of  his  visits  to  The  Jewel  River.  True,  he  might  political- 
ly be  an  enemy  to  her  people  and  their  plans,  and  an  important 
member  of  the  government  that  had  ousted  her  father  and  his 
friends  from  any  place  in  it ;  yet  this  gave  no  reason  for  the  sup- 
position that  he  had  deliberately  sought  her  acquaintance  as  a 
spy.  She  hugged  this  new  hope  to  her  breast,  and  if  a  doubt  of  his 
ascribed  intentions  arose,  she  easily  confronted  and  defeated  it 
with  a  thousand  reasons  why  such  could  not  be  so.  His  assumption 
of  another  name  was  most  feasible  of  explanation,  and  she  re- 
called gladly  that  while  he  might  appear — by  such  stories  as  that 
of  his  tai,  for  instance — to  have  sought  to  lead  her  into  an  avowal 
of  her  father's  plans,  he  had  made  no  effort,  when  he  well  might, 
to  force  her  confidence,  nor  play  upon  her  feelings  so  as  to  gain 
his  desire — if  such  it  were.  Ren-ko  loved  Take,  simply  and  obvi- 
ously, and  as  with  such  natures  as  her's,  love  was  all. 

She  recalled  a  previous  conversation  with  him,  in  which  she 
had  asked  him  for  a  definition  of  love,  and  he  had  answered  her 
that  it  was  life,  embracing  all — immortality — endless,  unslayable. 
She  had  asked  him  if  death,  that  grim  spectre  that  hovers  even 
through  the  thoughts  of  lovers,  could  not  find  a  sting  to  kill  it, 
and  he  had  told  her  that  to  those  who  loved  there  was  no  death 
possible.  Death  was  but  a  shadow,  falling  across  the  landscape  of 
life,  and  growing  longer  and  longer  until  finally  it  became  merged 
in  the  morrow.  And  where  it  fell  on  the  morrow  it  would  fall  on 
the  million  morrows  to  come;  it  was  but  the  short  night  that  in- 
tervened. 


2l8  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

She  remembered  that  she  had  asked  him  what  would  become  of 
the  shadow  if  the  sun  failed  to  appear  on  that  morrow,  and  he  had 
laughed  softly,  taking  her  hand  in  his,  and  telling  her  that  a  poet 
would  need  no  eyes  to  see  the  visions  of  which  he  wrote.  This 
shadow  would  fall  just  the  same,  it  was  but  doubting  eyes  that  re- 
quired the  sun  as  evidence. 

She  believed  this — and  because  of  it  believed  in  him.  Was  she 
a  doubter  to  require  a  sun  to  show  her  love  to  her — to  think  that 
love  slain  because  a  short  night  was  intervening  ? 

She  crossed  to  a  shoji  that  gave  out  over  the  Nightless  Street, 
and  slid  it  that  the  crisp  night  air  might  enter  and  fan  her  thought- 
heated  brow.  About  her  a  great  world  of  sin  and  evil  surged  and 
lurched  in  the  wickedness  of  its  life,  but  overhead  the  stars  shone 
pure  and  bright.  The  lanterns  of  the  Flower  Quarter  required 
constant  attention,  their  little  lamps  re-burnishing  and  filling,  their 
wicks  re-trimming.  Those  other  lanterns  in  the  sky  overhead 
needed  naught,  but  shone  as  brightly  as  though  they  had  been  lit 
and  hung  by  some  Hand.  When  they  became  invisible  to  mortal 
eye  it  was  but  because  a  passing  cloud  obscured  them,  the  stars 
were  still  in  their  places  and  still  shining.  Behind  them,  some- 
where, was  the  great  sun  that  made  light  and  shadow — that,  too, 
was  still  shining,  obstructed  but  by  the  passage  of  the  night,  a 
night  whose  fullest  complement  of  hours  could  scarce  equal  half 
of  their  nycthemeron.  Where  was  her  love? 

She  raised  her  face  to  the  stars,  crying  softly  above  the  mocking 
jollity  of  The  Jewel  River  revelers. 
"He  loves  me !  He  loves  me !" 


XVIII     . 

THREAD-BARE    PENITENCE 


Indeed,  indeed,  Repentance  oft  before 
I  swore — but  was  I  sober  when  I  swore? 

And  then  and  then  came  Spring,  and  Rose-in-hand 
My  thread-bare  Penitence  apieces  tore,— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IT  WAS  the  early  afternoon  of  the  following  day.  In  the  yashiki 
of  his  Mukojima  besso,  Goto  was  protesting  to  Taro  vehemently 
at  a  suggestion  from  the  latter  that  they  should  make  one  night  of 
it  at  The  Jewel  River  before  the  start  for  Yokohama  on  the  mor- 
row. Taro,  secretly  in  the  hope  of  seeing  Ren-ko  for  one  last  time, 


22O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

had  been  urging  this  to  his  uncle  for  the  past  half  hour,  and  the 
baron  had  as  insistently  been  negativing  the  idea. 

His  recent  escapades  at  The  Jewel  River,  in  the  company  of 
Tokiyori,had  resulted  for  Goto  in  an  attack  of  gout,  as  he  had  pre- 
dicted, and  each  sharp  twinge  now  served  to  prick  his  conscience 
as  well.  He  was  determined  that,  hereafter,  no  earthly  powers  of 
suasion  should  lure  him  from  the  paths  of  sobriety  and  rectitude. 
Besides  it  was  not  dignified  for  a  personage  of  his  prominence  to 
be  frequenting  such  places,  and,  moreover,  his  foot  hurt  him  ex- 
cessively. 

"  'Clapping  can  not  be  done  with  one  hand',"  he  expostulated  to 
Taro,  when  the  latter  had  again  renewed  his  attack.  "My  honor- 
able foot  is  so  wretchedly  annoying  that  I  can  scarcely  walk." 

"But,  uncle,"  interjected  Taro,  plaintively,  "think,  this  is  our  last 
night  together  for  some  time." 
Goto  shifted  in  his  seat,  uneasily. 

"I  think  this  daughter  of  Ikeda's  has  bewitched  you  young  fel- 
lows," he  answered  testily,  drawing  up  his  foot  sharply  at  a  sud- 
den twinge.  "Why  need  you  hurry  back  to  America,  Taro  ?  There 
must  be  others  in  the  Company  who  can  take  these  trips  in  your 
place,  and  I  am  getting  to  be  an  old  fellow  who  will  be  lonely 
without  you." 

"It  is  absolutely  imperative  that  I  journey  to  America,  as  you 
must  realize,  uncle,"  replied  Taro,  "because,  owing  to  an  increase 
in  applications  for  labor  transportation  to  that  country,  arrange- 
ments must  be  entered  into  there  for  a  more  extended  field  of 
placing  our  intended  emigrants.  Moreover,  we  have  pledged  our- 
selves to  the  Diet  to  secure,  if  possible,  farming  lands  for  these 
emigrants  in  California,  all  of  which  will  require  my  personal  su- 
pervision." 

"Well,  well,"  grumbled  Goto,  "I  suppose  you  are  right,  nephew. 
Nevertheless,  I  shall  be  very  lonely  after  you  are  gone." 

He  relapsed  into  silence,  broken  only  by  occasional  "ouches" 
and  anathemas  at  the  pain  in  his  foot,  while  Taro  awaited  a  more 
favorable  opportunity  of  again  broaching  the  subject  of  The  Jew- 
el River.  Finally,  Goto  observed : 

"Why  not  forego  this  Yoshiwara  project  of  yours  for  tonight, 


THREAD-BARE  PENITENCE  221 

Taro,  and  let  us  spend  our  last  evening  together  peaceably  at 
home?  I  have  some  very  good  sake,  and  I  daresay  our  cook  can 
manage  something  palatable  for  us." 

"I  thought  the  'Foreign'  doctor  had  forbidden  you  sake  until  you 
have  recovered  from  this  attack  of  gout,"  remarked  Taro. 

The  baron  moved  about  uneasily  once  more. 
"'There  is  more  danger  in  the  knife  of  a  doctor  than  in  the  fierc- 
est storms  of  winter',"  he  defended.  "The  'Foreign'  doctor  told 
me  that  if  I  would  give  up  my  sake  I  would  greatly  lengthen  my 
days.  I  have  tried  it  for  two  days  now,  and  I  must  say,  Taro,  they 
are  the  longest  days  I  ever  remember  to  have  spent.  I  thought 
they  would  never  end." 

"Well,  uncle,"  affirmed  Taro,  "at  all  events  the  'Foreign'  doctor 
has  not  forbidden  your  visiting  the  Yoshiwara  with  your  nephew. 
I  will  warrant  that  if  you  but  accompany  me  your  foot  will  not 
trouble  you  as  much  as  it  does  now,  and  that  the  evening  will 
pass  far  more  pleasantly  to  you  than  shut  up  in  this  room  with 
the  constant  memory  of  your  pain  for  a  companion.  As  for  me,  I 
must  attend  The  Jewel  River  a  few  moments  in  any  case,  for, 
while  there  yesterday  evening,  I  ordered  a  room  for  us — the  same 
room  we  have  always  used — and  geisha  and  hokan.  The  cooks 
have  my  orders  to  prepare  eels  with  sancho,  after  our  custom  in 
the  north,  and  there  is  to  be  a  new  'Foreign'  dish — a  piece  de  re- 
sistance, called  pate  de  foi  gras — that  is  worthy  a  place  on  the  Mi- 
kado's table.  It  will  be  a  feast  fit  only  for  kings,  uncle,  sparkling 
with  wit,  wine  and  pretty  women — an  evening  to  remember  for 
many  a  long  year  to  come,  with  mirth  and  joy  our  only  guests  at 
the  festive  board !  Surely,  uncle,  you  will  not  leave  it  for  me  to 
partake  of  this  alone?" 

As  usual,  the  epicurean  picture  proved  too  great  a  temptation 
for  Goto. 

"By  Uji-no-mitama !"  he  vociferated ;  "I  believe  the  boy  is  right ! 
'The  moping  owl  complains  away  its  rest.'  That  'Foreign'  doctor 
is  a  fool.  Order  'rickshas  then,  nephew,  while  I  prepare  my  toilet." 

Later  that  afternoon  Tokiyori  stood  in  the  great  library  of  Shi- 
ma,  about  to  take  his  departure  from  his  father's  presence. 


222  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"I  am  assured,"  said  he  to  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "that  Ikeda's  conspir- 
acy has  its  foundation  in  a  plot  to  re-establish  the  old  order  of 
Tokugawa  times ;  that  he  has  succeeded  in  attracting  many  like 
himself — and  with  much  more  powerful  connections  in  the  pres- 
ent regime,  in  many  cases — to  his  cause,  and  that  Saito  is  the 
head  and  soul  of  the  military  part  of  the  organization.  Their  plans 
are  maturing  rapidly  and  there  is  a  general  hope  among  them  of 
bringing  matters  to  an  issue  before  the  summer  months." 

"We  can  but  wait,  and  watch,"  answered  Lord  Yo-Ake.  "Your 
part  has  been  well  done,  my  son.  You  have  tricked  this  girl  most 
skilfully." 

"Yes,"  answered  Tokiyori,  with  unusual  bitterness,  "that  is  just 
what  I  am — what  I  have  been  made  to  be — a  trickster,  a  forger 
of  sacred  words,  a  liar.  I  go  now  to  fresh  victories — sayonara." 
Lord  Yo-Ake  watched  him  as  he  left  the  room. 

"After  all,"  he  mused,  "our  vaunted  system  of  marriage  is  sub- 
servient to  many  translations,  any  one  of  all  depending  merely  on 
the  translator.  It  is  called  a  union — of  what?  Rather,  to  me,  its 
material  state  is  simply  an  affining  of  molecular  atoms;  its  intel- 
lectual communion  the  ventriloquism  of  souls.  But  Love?  Ah, 
Love!  what  place  have  you — or  ever  had — in  marriage?  Your 
presence  therein  is  just  as  likely  to  prove  conspicuous  by  its  ab- 
sence as  otherwise;  yet  you  are  the  life  of  the  world,  for  without 
you  there  would  be  no  universe — no  Nippon — no  Yo-Ake.  Love !" 
He  stood  gazing  into  the  shrine  to  his  dead  wife,  until  the 
sound  of  the  o-mon  shutting  to,  told  him  that  his  son  had  left  the 
castle. 

Much  later  that  afternoon  Saito  called  at  the  Shiba  besso.  He 
was  anxious  to  ascertain,  unsuspected,  something  of  Tokiyori's 
movements,  and  it  was  two  days  since  he  had  seen  Kiku-ko — an 
unusual  remissness  on  his  part,  latterly.  At  the  entrance  he  was 
met  by  Kiku-ko  herself,  who  conducted  him  into  the  guest  cham- 
ber. 

"I  wanted  this  opportunity,"  said  she,  "to  speak  to  you — please 
hear  me  out  before  you  interrupt." 

She  was  standing  before  him,  very  straight  and  determined,  so 


THREAD-BARE  PENITENCE  223 

that  she  seemed  to  Saito  to  have  acquired  a  hitherto  unknown  dig- 
nity. 

"I  have  listened  to  you  for  some  years,"  she  went  on,  "because  I 
believed  you  the  one  true,  unchanging  thing  in  this  rapidly  chang- 
ing country  of  ours.  It  seemed  to  me  that  you  alone  stood  for  our 
Bushido — all  that  was  most  honorable  in  our  life.  Now  I  see  that 
I  was  wrong,  both  in  my  estimate  of  you  and  of  that  code  for 
which  you  stood.  It  is  but  a  brilliant  cloak,  hiding  the  tawdriness 
beneath;  why  should  I  expect  its  wearer  to  be  otherwise?  I  have 
suffered  for  the  falsity  of  my  belief,  and  I  suffer  again  in  saying 
this ;  but  now  I  know  that  there  is  neither  truth  nor  honor  longer 
in  the  old  Nippon." 

"I  do  not  understand  you,"  said  he  when  at  last  he  was  given  the 
opportunity  to  defend  himself. 

"No,"  she  replied,  "I  hardly  expected  that  you  would.  You  be- 
long to  that  world — past  now,  thank  the  gods! — to  whom  there 
was  virtue  or  chastity  in  naught  but  the  sword.  Do  you  think  a 
woman  whose  eyes  have  been  opened  could  again  revert  to  such  a 
state?" 

"Revert  to  what  state?"  he  asked,  still  bewildered. 

"To  the  state — for  instance — to  which  you,  and  others,  have  sen- 
tenced a  woman  of  your  own  caste — the  daughter  of  the  once 
Lord  Ikeda  of  the  Baka-fu,  to  be  more  explicit." 

"And  what  has  that  to  do  with  us,  Kiku-ko  ?"  said  he. 

"I  refer  you  for  the  answer  to  your — friend  ?  at  The  Jewel  Riv- 
er," she  replied.  "Sayonara." 

With  a  bow  she  left  him,  and  Saito,  in  a  now  ugly  frame  of 
mind,  stalked  from  the  house  to  his  awaiting  'ricksha  without.  As 
he  proceeded  in  it  toward  the  city,  a  sudden  thought  came  to  him. 

"By  the  gods !"  he  exclaimed  half  aloud,  "I  believe  she  loves 
him !  I  believe  she  loves  him !" 
He  pondered  a  moment. 

"Ho,  there,  runner !"  he  called  sharply  to  his  'ricksha  man,  "con- 
vey me  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  houses  of  The  Jewel  River, 
on  the  Nightless  Street  of  the  Flower  Quarter." 


XIX 

IDOLS  OF  LOVE 


Indeed  the  Idols  I  have  loved  so  long 

Have  done  my  credit  in  this  World  much  wrong: 

Have  drown'd  my  Glory  in  a  shallow  Cup, 
And  sold  my  Reputation  for  a  Song. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IHE  baron  and  Taro  having  secured  the  sole  remaining  enter- 
tainment chamber  at  The  Jewel  River  that  night,  Ren-ko  gave  or- 
ders that  Take's  dinner  should  be  served  in  her  own  room,  whither 
she  awaited  him.  The  day  following  a  sleepless  night,  occasioned 
by  Saito's  warning  against  Tokiyori,  had  found  her  again  fraught 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  225 

with  doubts  regarding  him,  and  while  she  was  now  enabled  to 
meet  these  in  a  vein  of  calmer  reasoning,  she  prepared  for  a  pos- 
sible worst  by  an  antidote  of  which  she  had  thought.  If,  she  rea- 
soned, Take  were  innocent,  the  foresight  could  do  not  the  slight- 
est harm;  or  if  otherwise,  she  would  have  at  hand  a  powerful 
weapon  of  protection  for  herself  and  father. 

Kneeling  before  a  small  writing  table,  she  unrolled  a  scroll  to 
its  full  length,  so  that  it  covered  the  table  top.  In  the  right-hand 
margin  of  this  was  a  statement  contained  in  a  few  closely  written 
characters  in  perpendicular  lines,  followed  by  a  score  of  signa- 
tures and  seals  covering  nearly  one  half  the  paper.  She  studied 
these  for  some  time,  then  clapped  her  hands  thrice. 

When  the  maid  answered  the  summons,  she  instructed  her  to 
bring  a  bowl  of  boiled  rice.  As  the  servant  withdrew,  she  care- 
fully rolled  the  scroll  toward  its  under  side,  stopping  when  was 
left  to  view  but  the  unwritten  portion  of  the  paper.  Presently  the 
maid  returned  with  the  rice,  and  placing  it  by  her  mistress,  asked 
if  she  required  anything  further.  Ren-ko  ordered  tea  and  cakes 
for  two,  then  turned  to  her  task. 

Crushing  a  grain  of  the  rice  against  the  inside  of  the  bowl  with 
her  forefinger,  she  lightly  touched  the  roll  where  she  held  it  be- 
tween finger  and  thumb  of  the  other  hand,  thus  glueing  it.  Then 
she  rolled  up  the  remainder  and,  lifting  her  ink-case  from  the 
floor  onto  the  table,  laid  the  scroll  in  readiness  beside  it. 

Her  task  completed  to  her  satisfaction,  she  arose,  and  crossing 
the  room  to  the  hibatchi,  placed  her  small  iron  kettle  on  the  rest 
over  its  hot  coals,  and,  setting  her  cushion  beside  it,  was  now 
ready  for  her  visitor.  Shortly  after  the  maid  entered  and  deposit- 
ed a  tea  tray  close  to  her  mistress,  laying  another  cushion  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  hibatchi.  Then,  gathering  up  the  bowl  of  rice, 
she  withdrew  just  as  the  voice  of  an  attendant  was  heard  ushering 
a  guest  toward  the  room.  A  moment  later  the  shoji  slid  admitting 
Take  san. 

He  advanced  quickly  to  her  side,  and  after  greeting  her  warm- 
ly, remarked  on  her  room. 
"How  pretty  this  apartment  is,"  he  observed. 
"Ah,  yes,"  she  answered,  smiling  up  happily  at  him.  "Of  course 


226  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

you  have  never  seen  it  before.  All  the  other  chambers  were  en- 
gaged for  the  evening,  so  I  thought  to  make  shift  to  entertain  you 
in  my  poor  apartment." 

"It  is  an  unexpected,  and  therefore  doubly  appreciated,  pleas- 
ure," he  replied,  settling  himself  upon  the  cushion  laid  for  him. 

Her  room  was  separated  from  the  one  adjoining — used  by  her 
father  and  his  associates  of  the  conspiracy — by  fusima  depicting 
a  great  cherry  tree  in  full  bloom,  blown  by  a  wind  so  that  its  pet- 
als were  falling  in  showers  to  form  a  thick  snow-like  carpet.  In- 
termingled with  the  falling  blossoms  was  a  swarm  of  exquisitely 
tinted  butterflies ;  two  sides  of  the  room  were  enclosed  by  shoji. 
Besides  the  writing  table,  hibatchi,  tea  service,  and  her  ko-tansu  of 
dull  wood  with  fantastic  bronze-wrought  clasps  upon  its  drawers 
and  little  doors,  there  was  but  the  toko-no-ma,  containing  a  dainty 
little  kakemono  of  bird  life,  and — oddly — a  sword  rack  on  which 
reposed  two  weapons  that  had  evidently,  from  make  and  hous- 
ings, belonged  once  to  some  noble  or  samurai  of  the  wealthier 
class.  Ren-ko,  busying  herself  with  the  tea  service,  explained  the 
presence  of  these  latter  laughingly  to  Take. 

"They  are  my  father's,"  said  she,  "who  treasures  them  greatly, 
although  he  can  not,  of  course,  wear  them  under  the  present  regu- 
lations." 

She  served  him  his  tea,  noting  as  he  received  it  the  effeminacy 
of  gesture  of  which  Saito  had  spoken,  and  Take,  draining  the  cup 
of  its  contents,  passed  it  to  her  for  re-filling. 

Just  then  sounds  of  revelry  from  across  "the  Bridge  of  Love" 
became  audible,  distinguishable  among  them  the  voice  of  Goto. 

"I  understand  now,"  smiled  Take,  "why  my  usual  apartment  was 
let  this  evening.  It  seems  my  friend,  the  baron,  is  entertaining 
again  tonight." 

"A  farewell  dinner,  I  believe,  to  his  nephew,  Mr.  Taro  Goto, 
who  leaves  for  America  tomorrow,"  explained  Ren-ko. 

"Is  he  one  of  your  friends,  Flower  Heart?"  asked  Take,  in  jok- 
ing vein. 

"He  was,"  she  answered,  "until  he  decided  not  to  be." 

"Ah !  I  perceive,"  smiled  Take.  "Well,  he  will  doubtless  be  very 
rich  some  day,"  he  added,  jestingly. 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  22? 

"That  is  naught  to  me,"  she  replied,  indifferently. 

"Do  not  all  women  love  riches  ?"  he  asked. 

"I  prefer  greatness,"  she  answered,  simply. 

"Well,  are  not  riches  greatness?"  he  queried,  still  in  the  same 
tone  of  light  banter. 

"Indeed  no,"  she  affirmed  without  hesitancy.  "A  rich  man  is 
often  mistaken  for  a  great  one  by  the  world  because  of  what  his 
wealth  can  buy,  but  to  me  greatness  consists  rather  in  the  power 
of  giving." 

"Then  how  would  you  define  a  great  man,  my  Soul  of  the  Blos- 
soms?" 

"A  great  man,"  she  answered,  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  "is  one 
who,  recking  nothing  of  himself,  labors  above  all  for  the  good  of 
humanity,  no  matter  what  his  sphere  of  work  may  be ;  that  alone 
is  what  constitutes  greatness,  I  think.  Such  a  one  might  not  ac- 
quire much  worldly  wealth,  because  his  mind  would  be  given  to 
the  advancement  of  others  rather  than  to  his  own  interests. 

"Yet  there  are  said  to  be  rich  men  who  work  for  the  good  of  hu- 
manity," he  objected. 

"Yes,  after  they  have  worn  out  the  best  in  their  lives  accumulat- 
ing for  themselves,"  she  agreed. 

"Then  you  think  our  friend,  Taro,  will  never  be  great?" 

"He  will  probably  be  wealthy  some  day,"  she  replied,  "and  in 
the  world's  eyes  that  embraces  everything.  I  know  his  plans,  but 
cannot  see  any  greatness  in  a  work  destined  toward  the  ultimate 
ruin  of  his  country." 

He  evinced  a  sudden  deep  interest. 

"The  ruin  of  the  country?"  he  asked.  "How  can  that  be?" 

"How  can  it  not  be?"  she  answered.  "Mr.  Taro  is  attempting, 
and  successfully  according  to  report,  to  instigate  a  desire  for  emi- 
gration in  his  countrymen  by  the  offer  of  greater  prosperity.  Think 
you  that  our  people  will  ever  care  to  return  to  their  native  fare 
after  tasting  this  dish  he  is  providing  for  them?  Soon  we  should 
be  a  race  of  neither  Orientals  nor  Occidentals,  but,  like  your  fish, 
half  dolphin,  half  tai.  Where  then  would  be  our  vaunted  oneness 
of  national  ambition,  or  love  of  country?  It  would  be  the  fore- 
word of  the  decline  and  fall  of  Nippon." 


228  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"That  would  appear  to  settle  the  claims  of  our  friend,  Taro 
Goto,  to  greatness/'  he  laughed,  "and  so  a  rival  is  removed  from 
my  list.  Yet,  I  confess  to  fears  for  myself ;  your  estimate  of  great- 
ness seems  so  humanly  unattainable." 

"I  think  that,  given  the  heart  for  such  work,"  she  differed, 
"greatness  is  more  easily  attainable  than  mere  money.  The  brain 
lacks  the  spontaneity  of  the  heart,  and  what  is  an  effort  to  the 
one  would  be  but  a  pleasure  to  the  other.  Yet,  mere  ostensible  suc- 
cess does  not  necessarily  stamp  the  worker  as  great,  any  more 
than  the  acquisition  of  mere  wealth  does.  I  know  of  one,  now, 
who  is  I  think  the  nearest  human  attribute  of  greatness,  yet  I 
doubt  that  he  has  ever  experienced  one  proclaimed  success  of  his 
efforts." 

"Excepting  that  of  apparently  winning  your  encomium,"  he  jest- 
ed. "Would  that  I  were  he !" 

"Oh,  you  are  in  many  ways,"  she  answered,  quickly.  "I  often 
think  you  very  similar  in  character  to  my  hero — Tokiyori  Yo- 
Ake." 

She  watched  him  closely  as  she  spoke,  and  it  added  to  her  ap- 
proval of  him  that  he  betrayed  no  consciousness  of  her  inuendo. 

"I  would,  Soul  of  Mine,"  said  he,  lightly,  "that  I  could  be  to  you 
what  this  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  seems." 

There  was  a  note  of  deep  sincerity  in  his  voice  despite  the 
lithesome  manner  of  speaking,  unmistakable  to  the  woman  whose 
senses  were  strained  to  his  every  mood. 

"You  are,"  said  she,  simply;  "I  thank  the  gods!" 

He  regarded  her  with  one  swift,  keen  glance,  and  then  gave  a 
short  laugh. 

"You  flatter  me,"  he  replied. 

"Not  if  you  are  what  I  believe  you  to  be,"  she  answered.  And 
then,  before  he  had  time  for  further  comment — 

"Have  you  ever  seen  a  lake  of  muddy  water,  into  which  a  pure 
stream  flows,"  she  asked,  "and  noted  the  beauty  of  the  clear 
liquid  where  it  touches?  We  of  the  Flower  Quarter  are  like  so 
many  turbid  ponds :  purity  there  is  among  us — for  we  are  women 
— yet  the  constant  stirring  of  the  mud  obscures  all  else.  When, 
from  the  high  mountains,  a  clear  stream  flows  to  us — such  as,  for 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  22Q 

instance,  this  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake — is  it  any  wonder  that  it  leaves  an 
impress?  We  know  his  efforts  in  the  Diet  on  our  behalf,  they  are 
common  talk  among  us,  and  whatever  his  lack  of  success  regard- 
ing this  may  be  to  the  public,  I  think  a  little  ihai  is  preserved  in 
every  woman's  heart  here  to  enshrine  his  name  in." 

She  touched  his  hand  timidly  with  her  own  shapely,  tapering 
fingers — a  touch  that  thrilled  him. 

"Oh,  Tokiyori,  Tokiyori,"  she  laughed,  softly.  "Could  you  not 
see  through  my  little  play?  Forgive  me  the  deception,  dearest 
heart.  You  think  it  strange  that  I  know  you?  Yet,  if  you  would 
but  stop  to  consider,  you  would  perceive  that  I  could  scarcely  have 
failed  to  identify  you.  I  was  a  guest  at  your  besso  on  the  night  of 
the  ronin  attack  upon  the  old  embassies,  and  you  still  carry  the 
effects  of  the  wound  you  received  then.  Then,  too,  you  have  been 
the  subject  of  especial  vituperation  in  the  Yoshiwara  because  of 
your  project  against  the  established  practices  here,  and  naturally 
your  personality  has  undergone  much  discussion  among  us." 

In  a  second  he  realized  the  impracticability  of  an  attempted  de- 
nial of  his  identity,  and  decided  that  his  best  chance  of  allaying 
her  suspicions  would  be  in  an  acceptable  explanation  of  his  in- 
cognito. 

"You  are  right,"  said  he,  quietly.  "I  would  have  told  you  all  the 
truth,  eventually,  but  the  deception  was  imperative  just  now.  It  is 
not  without  danger,  in  the  present  state  of  feeling  against  me  by 
the  house  owners  here,  that  I  pay  my  visits  to  you,  and,  as  you 
must  realize,  I  could  not  afford  to  risk  the  fact  of  these  visits  be- 
coming public  property.  But  one  other — beside  yourself — knows 
of  them — my  friend,  Baron  Goto." 

"Why  have  you  sought  me?"  she  asked. 

"By  accident  at  first,  and  afterwards — for  love."     , 

"I  know  that  you  have  come  to  me  with  words  of  love,"  said  she, 
"which  I  have  accepted  with  my  woman's  impulsiveness.  I  be- 
lieved those  words  as  sincere  as  is  my  love  for  you.  Were  they  ?" 

"By  that  love,  I  swear  it." 

"And  I  too  swear  the  same,"  she  replied.  "In  any  case  there  can 
be  no  shame  in  such  a  confession  from  me,  for  were  I  to  you  but 
a  light  love,  or  the  one  whose  soul  was  created  a  counterpart  of 


230  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

yours,  my  love  is  true — and  in  truth  there  can  be  no  shame.  You 
swear  your  words  were  true;  and  I  recall  how  often  you  prom- 
ised to  take  me  away  from  this — was  that  the  truth,  also?" 
"Yes,"  he  answered,  "it  was." 
Suddenly  she  buried  her  face  in  her  hands,  shaking  convulsive- 

ly- 

"Oh,  take  me  away  from  this !"  she  sobbed.  "Oh,  take  me  away !" 
Her  plea  was  as  anguished  as  that  of  one  drowning. 

"I  will,"  he  replied,  "on  my  honor.  But  you  must  allow  me  time 
to  make  arrangements.  It  is  superfluous,  surely,  for  me  to  tell  you 
that  any  whisper  of  this  would  ruin  me  ?" 

Exactly  what  he  said,  he  meant.  He  knew  that  her  love  was 
everything  to  him,  and,  had  less  pended  on  himself — both  as  re- 
garded his  country  and  his  family — he  would  have  cast  aside  the 
role  he  was  assuming  and  told  her  the  whole  truth.  In  a  flash  it 
came  to  him,  as  never  before,  what  a  series  of  sacrifices  his  lot  in 
life  had  predestined  him  to,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  sacrifices  were 
entailed  on  all  others,  seemingly,  who  came  into  close  contact  with 
himself.  First  Kiku-ko — he  understood  the  sacrifice  of  her  love- 
less marriage,  despite  his  supposed  ignorance,  regarding  her  secret 
attitude  for  Saito — and  now  this  woman — nay,  girl — who  alone 
had  come  deepest  into  his  life. 

Suddenly  she  removed  her  hands  from  her  face,  and  clutched 
his  cheeks  between  them,  her  eyes  fairly  burning  into  his  own. 

"Let  me  look  into  your  eyes,"  said  she,  "into  the  well  of  your 
life,  for  I  know  they  can  reveal  naught  but  the  purity  of  you.  I 
care  not  what  your  lips  may  utter,  it  is  in  the  depths  of  your  eyes 
that  I  shall  see,  and  know.  I  do  not  seek  to  embarrass  your  posi- 
tion, rather  I  would  help  you.  I  could  not  be  selfish,  my  Take,  and 
be  what  I  long  to — your  helpmeet ;  the  moisture-gathering  clouds 
blot  out  the  dawn.  I  would  be  the  clear  atmosphere  that  intensi- 
fies the  glory  of  the  sun.  Listen,  O  Heart  of  Mine ! 

"A  new  dawn  has  broken  for  Japan,  you  believe ;  let  it  dawn  for 
us,  too.  The  mists  are  clearing  away  before  your  radiance,  my 
beautiful  sun,  and  I  would  not  be  that  which  obstructs  your  light, 
for  well  I  know  it  must  shine  upon  our  earth  through  no  murki- 
ness,  no  befogging  air.  See,  how  I  may  be  of  help  to  you.  Since 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  23! 

first  I  knew  you,  my  Tokiyori — my  Take — I  felt  that  to  be  worthy 
of  you  I  must  learn  with  the  comprehension  of  man.  Naught  else 
would  appeal  to  you,  that  I  understood,  even  on  that  night  of  our 
first  meeting,  when  you  sought  to  blind  me  with  your  assumed  in- 
toxication— as  though  such  as  you  would  descend  to  such  coarse- 
ness, soul  of  my  soul !  And  so  I  thought — oh,  so  earnestly ! — and 
studied  when  chance  permitted,  asking  questions  of  all  who  could 
enlighten  me,  neglecting  no  littlest  piece  of  knowledge.  I  grasped 
each  opportunity  possible  to  entertain  at  the  banquets  of  impor- 
tant officials,  until  I  began  to  know  something  of  the  undercur- 
rents of  our  national  existence.  Gradually  I  pieced  those  glean- 
ings together  into  one  whole  garment,  that  I  might  some  day 
bring  it  to  you  as  my  little  offering  to  the  shrine  of  our  love.  Dear 
heart,  I  have  accepted  repugnant  attentions  to  learn  for  you,  and 
I  have  learned — secrets  of  state  that  you  believed  inviolately 
guarded,  plans  of  men  sitting  with  you  on  the  Diet  that  you  would 
not  dream  existed — trust  a  woman  to  acquire  what  she  desires, 
when  aided  by  the  sake  cup." 

She  arose,  superb  in  her  wonderful  perfection  of  beauty,  and 
stretched  her  arms  forth,  her  great  eyes  liquid  with  the  loveliness 
of  her  adoration. 

"I  learned  all  this,"  said  she,  "because  first  I  had  learned  love. 
Love  that  I  hoped  would  make  me,  not  the  mistress  to  a  lover,  the 
bed  companion  to  a  great  lord — but  the  consort  to  a  king !" 

He  was  watching  her  every  action,  her  every  gesture,  noting 
with  all  that  was  in  him  her  every  word,  her  every  inflexion,  en- 
thralled. Her  soul  was  open  to  his  sight,  unfolding  like  the  timid 
petals  of  a  flower.  The  veil  of  her  life  fell  slowly  before  his  eyes, 
till  the  shrine  was  bereft  of  its  coverings,  and  naught  stood  be- 
tween them  but  the  great  naked  flame  of  truth  and  love — not  that 
feeble,  animal  misnomer  of  the  human  race,  but  a  love  so  all-lov- 
ing that  it  sought  but  the  creation  and  perfection  of  itself,  un- 
selfish, all-giving.  He  entered — through  the  thought  veil  of  her 
life — and,  for  the  gift-moment,  affined  by  the  gods,  they  trod  the 
pure  ether  above  the  earth ;  then,  like  the  black,  downward  rush 
of  falling  waters,  his  trust  spake  into  his  ear,  quietly,  insistently, 
irresistibly.  He  tried  to  brush  it  aside,  but  it  whispered  to  him  that 


232  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

infidelity  to  it  would  be  infidelity  to  her  as  well.  Honor  must  de- 
scend to  a  material  villainy  to  beget  itself — Jesuitical,  yet  awe- 
inspiring  in  the  hopeless  sacrifice  of  its  life  for  its  life. 

He  was  shown  the  opportunity  afforded  by  her  plea  to  exact  in- 
formation, and  quickly  sought  to  take  advantage  of  it. 

"You  have  said  that  you  would  be  my  help,"  said  he;  "would 
you  be  so  now  ?" 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  simply. 

He  hesitated,  and  then  decided  to  risk  all  on  a  single  throw  of 
the  dice,  fearing  that  the  opportunity  might  not  occur  again,  and 
believing  that  her  present  sentiments  could  be  played  upon. 

"There  are,"  said  he,  "frequent  meetings  here  between  your 
father,  Lord  Saito,  and  certain  daimios  of  the  Tokugawa  times. 
Their  motives  I  know,  but  the  names  of  those  taking  part  in  this 
conspiracy  and  the  time  set  for  its  consummation  are  necessary 
to  that  dawn  of  which  you  spoke — nay,  they  are  the  very  ob- 
structing fog  that  will  prevent  it.  As  you  love  me — as  your  words 
are  true — I  adjure  you  to  aid  me  now." 

A  sudden  hot  anger  leaped  to  Ren-ko's  heart.  He  had  ignored 
her  plea,  and  cared  but  to  pervert  her  offer  to  his  selfish  ends.  He 
sought  but  to  take  every  advantage  of  her  love ;  not  to  take  that 
love  as  she  had  offered  it.  Palpably  he  was  but  playing  on  her  af- 
fections, using  her  love  but  as  a  lever  to  the  attainment  of  his  set 
purpose,  and  while  that  belief  did  not  kill  her  love  for  him — it 
was  too  vast  and  enduring  for  mortal  slaughter — it  aroused  in  her 
a  contempt  of  his  methods,  and  a  desire  to  show  him  how  very 
small  he  had  suddenly  become  in  her  eyes. 

"If  I  should  consent  to  tell  you  what  you  ask,"  said  she,  "what 
recompense  would  be  mine  ?  For  be  assured  that  I  would  be  run- 
ning no  small  risk  of  ultimate  discovery." 

"Ask  what  you  will,"  he  agreed,  eagerly;  "it  shall  be  granted 
with  the  fullness  of  a  grateful  heart." 

"Nay,"  she  replied,  "it  is  not  for  myself  that  I  would  ask.  My 
love  would  bid  me  give,  not  sell,  its  assistance  to  you.  But — as  I 
told  you — your  personality  is  known  here,  and  your  visits  to  me 
have  been  marked.  If  I  should  divulge  this  plot,  suspicion  would 
point  through  me  to  my  father,  who  would  be  accused  of  traitor- 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  233 

ous  dealing,  and  himself  most  harshly  dealt  with.  It  is  protection 
for  him  that  I  am  seeking." 

"I  will  afford  him  that  protection,"  said  he.  "Both  in  my  father's 
name  and  in  my  own,  I  will  assist  him — I  swear  it." 

"I  make  no  doubt  of  your  willingness  so  to  do,"  she  answered, 
"but  the  possibility  of  performing  it.  Neither  my  father  nor  my- 
self could  leave  this  house  without  incurring  arrest.  My  father  is 
in  the  debt  of  the  proprietor,  Tanaka  san,  for  yen  three  thousand, 
and  that  amount  would  have  to  be  repaid  before  either  of  us 
would  be  permitted  to  depart  hence." 

"I  will  pay  it,"  he  complied.  "I  will  send  you  the  amount  by  mes- 
senger in  the  morning.  I  will  send  you  as  much  more  as  you  wish." 

"Nay,"  she  answered,  "that  sum  will  suffice — that  and  your 
promise  to  aid  and  protect  my  father.  Do  you  swear  that?" 

"By  the  gods  of  my  house,"  he  affirmed. 

She  crossed  the  room  to  her  writing  table,  returning  with  it  to 
his  side. 

"It  will  be  necessary  that  I  have  some  statement  to  show  my 
father  in  order  to  protect  myself  against  his  first  wrath,"  she  ex- 
plained as  she  placed  the  table  and  ink-case  before  him.  "He 
would  not,  I  fear,  understand  my  motives,  and  might  attribute  my 
confession  to  you  to  wrongful  causes." 

She  placed  the  scroll,  that  lay  beside  the  ink-case,  in  his  hand  as 
she  spoke,  and  laid  her  head  with  the  prettiest  gesture  of  a  found 
refuge  on  his  shoulder. 

"That  is  a  simple  matter,"  he  smiled,  slowly  unrolling  the  scroll. 
"What  shall  I  say?" 

When  sufficient  paper  was  unrolled,  he  took  a  brush  from  the 
ink-case  and,  pondering  scarce  a  moment,  stroked  rapidly : 

/  agree  to  place  at  the  disposal  of  Saburo  Ikeda  yen  three  thou- 
sand, and  I  swear  to  protect  and  aid  him  in  the  name,  and  with 
the  Influence,  of  my  family  and  myself. 

For  a  moment  he  considered  what  he  had  written,  and  then  af- 
fixing his  seal,  signed  it  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake. 

Ren-ko  languidly  received  the  scroll,  and  reading  it,  passed  to 
the  other  side  of  the  hibatchi,  while  he  replaced  the  writing  ma- 


234  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

terials  within  the  ink-case.  He  was  pleased  to  have  given  her  this 
pleasure  now — but  the  forerunner  of  what  he  intended  should  be 
many.  Suddenly  she  called  to  him. 

He  glanced  up  from  the  writing  table  with  a  smile — a  smile  that 
soon  faded  from  his  lips  when  he  saw  that  the  scroll  she  held  out 
to  his  inspection  had  more  on  it — more  signatures  and  seals  than 
his  own.  What  did  these  mean?  From  where  she  stood  the  heavy 
brush  strokes  in  the  extreme  right  hand  margin  of  it  were  plainly 
decipherable  by  him,  and  he  read  : 

We  do  swear  to  accomplish  the  liberation  of  our  Japan  of  the 
gods  from  Its  "Foreign"  yoke ;  to  assist  Saburo  Ikeda,ln  which  we 
pledge  our  souls,  our  sivords,  our  wealth,  and  our  lives. 

His  eye  traveled  swiftly  to  the  signatures — Saito  of  Satsuma, 
Watanabe,  Nakamura,  Kato,  Noto-no-kami — he  sprang  to  his  feet, 
but  Ren-ko,  quicker  than  his  thought,  which  she  anticipated,  gli- 
ded to  the  shoji,  holding  the  scroll  forth  over  the  Nightless  Street. 
"If  you  force  me  to  it,"  she  warned  with  quiet  firmness,  "I  shall 
drop  this  to  the  street  and  summon  aid." 

He  stood  irresolute  a  moment,  and  then  realizing  the  futility  of 
attempting  to  recover  the  document,  sank  again  to  his  knees  be- 
side the  hibatchi.  He  had  learned  that  which  he  had  come  a-seek- 
ing.  Yet,  not  only  could  he  make  no  use  of  the  knowledge,  but  by 
the  addition  of  his  own  name  to  the  scroll — a  signature  affixed 
over  the  writing  of  treasonable  intents  in  his  own  hand — had  put 
himself  completely  in  their  power.  It  would  be  vain  for  him  to 
attempt  explanations  should  this  ever  be  made  public;  he  had 
many  enemies  in  the  government  who  would  seize  only  too  eager- 
ly upon  such  a  pretext  to  discredit  his  name  and  ruin  him,  and 
the  one  whose  word  would  carry  most  weight  in  corroboration  of 
a  statement  of  his  innocence  would,  he  fully  realized,  withold  that 
word.  Lord  Yo-Ake  would  never  permit  it  to  be  supposed  that  he 
had  been  a  party  to  such  an  intrigue. 

Suddenly  there  was  added  to  his  bitterness  an  admiration  for 
this  woman  who  had  so  triumphed  over  him,  and  to  that  a  fear 
of  her,  psychic  in  its  manifestation.  She  had  cajoled,  tricked  and 
outwitted  him  at  every  move,  penetrating  his  incognito  with  an 


IDOLS  OF  LOVE  235 

ease  that  was  startling  in  its  simplicity.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
was  but  as  a  little  child  in  her  hands,  helpless  to  hide  even  the  in- 
nermost depths  of  his  soul  from  her  reading.  When,  just  then,  she 
broke  the  silence  to  address  him,  she  answered  his  unspoken 
thought  as  though  he  had  voiced  it  aloud. 

"I  have  no  pity  for  you,"  said  she.  "You  thought  it  easy  to  trick 
a  woman  such  as  I.  Why  not?  You  forced  me  into  this  place 
when,  for  selfish  reasons  of  your  own,  you  were  most  instrumental 
in  debarring  my  father  from  any  participation  in  your  govern- 
ment. Did  it  occur  to  you  then  that  you  were  raising  up  a  danger- 
ous enemy  to  your  Japan,  and  creating  a  woman's — nay,  a  girl's — 
ruin  ?  And  now  that  you  have  failed  to  win  my  simple  confidence 
— sought  but  to  betray  it,  and  me — you  think  yourself  harshly 
used,  believing  doubtless  that  there  is  no  faith  in  womankind. 
Yet,  whom  but  you  have  destroyed  it — have  forced  me  to  this  is- 
sue to  protect  myself?  Have  you  no  word  of  contrition — of  re- 
morse— for  the  part  you  have  driven  me  to  play  ?" 

She  waited  a  moment,  and  then  receiving  no  answer  from  him, 
continued : 

"I  could  condone  the  fact  that  you  sought  to  gain  from  me  in- 
formation of  a  plot  you  were  led  to  believe  existed  against  your 
government — even  had  you  been  successful  in  your  quest — had 
you  but  played  fair.  But  what  I  cannot  forgive  is  that,  unable  by 
your  own  wits  to  make  the  discovery,  you  had  recourse  to  what 
you  imagined  a  foolish  girl's  heart,  seeking  to  gain  her  confidence 
by  protestations  of  love  to  ruin  her.  Yes,  ruin,  for  the  success  of 
your  scheming  would  have  meant  my  bondage  here  for  life  as  a 
public  woman.  My  father,  as  I  have  told  you,  is  heavily  in  the 
debt  of  the  creature  who  owns  this  house.  Unless  this  sum  is 
made  good  before  another  month  is  past  I  must  remain  here  to 
work  off  the  indebtedness  by  the  small  percentage  accruing  from 
the  ruin  of  my  womanhood.  My  father's  only  chance  of  repaying 
that  sum  is  through  the  fulfillment  of  the  vows  recorded  on  this 
scroll.  Do  you  think  me  a  cheat  because  I,  refusing  to  be  sacri- 
ficed to  your  gain — a  man  who  is  seeking  to  betray  and  ruin  me — 
have  forced  you  to  become  one  of  the  signers  also,  thereby  re- 
moving from  you  the  power  to  harm  us  ?" 


236  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

She  gazed  upon  him  scornfully;  he  was  stooped  over  where  he 
kneeled,  his  head  sunken  on  his  chest.  It  seemed  to  Ren-ko  that  he 
had  suddenly  become  an  old  man  from  whom  life  was  slipping 
swiftly  in  a  flood  of  sorrow  and  failure.  A  wave  of  compunction 
and  compassion  swept  over  her — he  seemed  so  lonely,  so  helpless, 
so  forlorn,  and  so  beaten  by  adversity.  She  realized  that,  whatever 
his  outward  manifestations,  she  had  once  been  permitted  to  know 
his  soul — and  that  was  clean. 

It  came  to  her,  overwhelmingly,  that  she  loved  this  man  with 
his  own  definition  of  love  once  given  her — unselfish,  charitable, 
all- forgiving.  She  clasped  the  scroll  to  her  heart  as  though  en- 
graving his  name  there — then,  with  sudden  impulse,  made  to  step 
toward  him,  the  scroll  extended  in  her  hand. 

Her  attention  was  diverted  toward  the  fusima  depicting  the 
falling  cherry  petals,  for  in  its  opening  stood  Saito. 

He  advanced  toward  her. 
"The  scroll,  if  you  please,"  said  he. 


XX 


COMES  MIGHTY  MAHMUD  WITH   HIS  SWORD 


The  mighty  Mahmud,  Allah-breathing  Lord, 
That  all  the  misbelieving  and  black  Horde 

Of  Fears  and  Sorrows  that  infest  the  Soul 
Scatters  before  him  with  his  whirlwind  Sword.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

r>T  SUCH  moments  of  extreme  tension  even  the  most  trivial  hap- 
penings becomes  magnified  into  important  actualities.  Ren-ko  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  tones  of  the  old  umbrellaman  outside,  crying  his 
wares,  and  caught  the  chattering  of  the  dining  party  across  the 
Bridge  of  Love.  She  noted  that  Take  san,  while  undoubtedly  con- 


238  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

scious  of  the  intrusion  of  Saito,  was  apparently  oblivious  of  his 
presence. 

Increasing  sounds  of  bustle  and  revelry  were  arising  in  the 
house  as  the  evening  gathered  in,  and  the  scuffling  of  feet  and 
twinkling  of  lanterns  told  that  The  Jewel  River  was  donning  its 
night  garb.  A  gust  of  laughter  was  wafted  across  the  balconies, 
one  voice  more  insistent  than  the  others. 

"Ho-ho!  'A  moth  seeking  the  light  will  burn  itself,  and  a  butter- 
fly become  caught  in  a  spider's  web  !'  Because  of  this  I  have  always 
avoided  lovely  woman,  Taro." 

Saito  advanced  further  toward  Ren-ko — 

"The  scroll,  if  you  please,"  he  repeated. 

She  realized  that  he  must  have  been  a  listener,  and  knew  what 
was  passing  between  Take  and  herself  concerning  its  signing.  Her 
one  thought  now  was  how  to  prevent  Saito  from  obtaining  the 
scroll,  and  so  save  Take.  As  she  stood  by  the  hibatchi,  hesitating, 
Take  arose  and  placed  himself  quietly  between  Saito  and  her.  He 
appeared  to  note  the  presence  of  the  former  for  the  first  time,  as, 
bowing  gravely,  he  addressed  him. 

"Your  pardon,  sir,"  said  he,  in  the  mildest  tones  imaginable, 
"but  I  fear  you  have  mistaken  the  room.  This  apartment,  with  its 
geisha,  has  been  hired  by  me  for  this  evening." 

"An  evening  that  is  like  to  cost  you  dear,  I  am  afraid,"  replied 
Saito,  with  a  reckless  laugh.  "But  why  should  you  not  have  a  wel- 
come for  me,  Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake — or,  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Mr.  Take  of  the  North,  Sendai  way?  I  perceive  from  appearances 
that  you  have  at  last  decided  to  join  our  cause  against  these 
traitors  who  are  selling  our  Nippon  to  the  'Barbarian.'  Still,  as 
you  wish  to  be  alone  with  your  geisha,  I  will,  with  your  permis- 
sion, receive  something  I  require  from  her,  and  then  retire." 

Take  answered  nothing,  but  his  face  set  suddenly  with  an  unac- 
customed hardness.  He  was  determined  that  Saito  should  not  get 
the  scroll  into  his  possession,  believing  that  with  Ren-ko  his  fam- 
ily name  would,  at  all  events,  be  safe.  Yet  how  to  prevent  Saito, 
should  he  resort  to  force,  he  knew  not,  for  physically  he  would  be 
but  a  child  in  the  hands  of  so  active  and  trained  a  man.  Moreover, 
he  dared  not  call  for  help,  for  to  do  so  would  but  precipitate  the 
exposure. 


COMES  MIGHTY   MAHMUD  WITH   HIS  SWORD  239 

Again  Saito  spoke,  and  in  slightly  more  menacing  tones. 
"Your  pardon,  count,"  said  he,  his  eyes  narrowing  slightly,  "but 
I  think  you  are  standing  in  my  way." 

Each  was  watching  for  the  initial  movement  of  his  opponent, 
forgetting  Ren-ko  in  their  hawk-like  attitude.  Then  Saito  advanced 
upon  Take.  A  sudden  drift  of  smoke  and  burst  of  flame  filled  the 
room.  Instinctively  each  glanced  at  Ren-ko,  who  was  just  arising 
from  beside  the  hibatchi.  Atop  of  its  coals,  a  blackened,  half- 
glowing  mass  of  paper  was  twisting  and  stretching  into  a  myriad 
of  weirdsome  contortions.  Then  Take  laughed,  quietly. 
"Oh,  Flower  Heart !"  he  called  softly  across  the  hibatchi. 

He  turned  to  Saito,  still  courteously. 

"I  fear  you  have  made  a  mistake  when  you  suppose  my  name  to 
be  associated  with  a  conspiracy  of  your  plotting,"  said  he.  "Doubt- 
less you  jested,  yet  I  warn  you  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  sejek  to 
interfere  with  one  of  His  Majesty's  Counselors.  Permit  me,  by  re- 
tiring, to  place  this  apartment  at  your  disposal.  Sayonara,  Miss 
Breath  of  Mokujima,  I  will  call  again  shortly." 

He  left  the  room  composedly  enough,  but  quickened  his  steps 
toward  the  rear  stairway  as  he  came  out  onto  the  balcony,  for  his 
one  thought  was  to  reach  Shima  as  swiftly  as  possible.  Then  he 
paused,  as  a  sudden  fear  came  to  him — appalling.  She  who  had 
sacrificed  her  all  for  him — a  sacrifice  he  was  determined  should 
not  be  exacted  of  her — was  left  alone  with  a  man  bitter  and 
thwarted,  who  might  in  the  anger  and  disappointment  of  the  mo- 
ment hesitate  at  naught.  She  was  his  love,  her  safety  more  precious 
to  him  than  aught — beside  his  trust.  If  harm  came  to  her  it  would 
strike  at  the  best  of  his  life — no,  he  could  not,  even  for  the  sake 
of  his  trust,  leave  her  in  this  plight. 

Swiftly  he  started  to  retrace  his  steps,  when  voices  arose  from 
the  room  where  Goto  and  Taro  were  dining. 
"Love  is  as  delicate  as  a  cobweb,"  was  asserting  the  baron,  evi- 
dently in  a  sententiousness  born  of  rich  sake,  "and  often  it  is  all 
that  stretches  across  the  places  that  have  been." 

He  laughed  boisterously  at  his  epigram. 

"I  should  have  thought  it  more  like  a  red-hot  hibatchi,"  dissent- 
ed the  voice  of  Taro. 


240  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Nay,"  laughed  Goto,  "for  a  woman  may  not  be  trusted  to  keep 
that  alight." 

Take  changed  his  direction  from  toward  Ren-ko's  room  to  that 
of  the  two  diners.  There  a  word  to  a  servant  brought  the  baron 
without.  Take  hastily  explained  Ren-ko's  predicament,  and  his 
fears  for  her,  attributing  the  whole  to  jealous  rivalry  on  the  part 
of  Saito.  He  begged  Goto  to  keep  an  eye  on  Ren-ko's  room  in  case 
of  any  violent  disturbance,  and  if  necessary  interfere  to  protect 
her,  then  having  received  the  baron's  promise  so  to  do,  departed 
from  The  Jewel  River. 

For  a  few  moments  after  Take  left  him,  Goto,  in  deep  medita- 
tion, stood  watching  the  room  indicated.  He  had  a  kindly  regard 
for  Ren-ko  and  a  compassionate  feeling  for  her  circumstances. 
Suddenly  he  heard  her  voice  raised  in  expostulation,  drowned  by 
the  angry  vehemence  of  others.  He  half  started  to  her  assistance, 
and  then  stopped,  realizing  the  futility  of  any  attempted  inter- 
ference between  parent  and  child,  for  among  the  protesting  and 
accusing  voices  he  had  noted  that  of  her  father. 

"Poor  child!"  he  murmured,  shaking  his  head  sympathetically, 
"poor  child!" 

He  was  about  to  re-enter  his  dining  room,  when  the  noise  of  a 
loud  tumult,  followed  by  the  thuds  of  a  falling  body,  came  from 
Ren-ko's  room.  Then  a  smothered  scream,  dying  into  a  low,  moan- 
ing wail.  Goto  halted  abruptly,  straightened  himself  with  military 
precision,  and  without  further  hesitation,  stepped  forth  upon  the 
Bridge  of  Love,  his  white  evening  waistcoat  gleaming  incongru- 
ously in  the  glimmer  of  a  hanging  lantern. 

Within  her  chamber,  as  the  shoji  closed  behind  the  retreating 
form  of  Take,  Ren-ko  knelt,  cowering  from  the  look  in  Saito's 
eyes.  The  cherry  tree  fusima  slid,  this  time  admitting  her  father 
and  Tanaka.  Saito  turned  swiftly  to  the  former. 

"Your  daughter  has  destroyed  us/'  he  announced. 

"Destroyed  us !"  exclaimed  Ikeda,  incredulously,  starting  back ; 
"how,  Saito,  how?" 

"Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  is  her  lover,"  explained  Saito,  hurriedly.  "She 
has  shown  him  our  document  and  then  burned  it  in  the  hibatchi. 

"That  is  not  so !"  cried  Ren-ko.  "He  is  not  my  lover !" 


COMES  MIGHTY  MAHMUD  WITH   HIS  SWORD  24! 

"Silence,  girl !"  commanded  Ikeda,  paling.  "Where  has  Yo-Ake 
gone?"  he  quavered,  addressing  Saito.  "Was  it  long  since?" 

"Just  before  you  came  in,"  answered  Saito.  "Probably  he  is  even 
now  hastening  to  set  the  authorities  on  our  heels." 

"You  should  have  prevented  him,"  exclaimed  Ikeda. 

"How?"  asked  Saito,  with  a  flash  of  anger.  "Your  daughter, 
after  obtaining  Tokiyori's  seal  to  the  bond,  has  burnt  the  docu- 
ment and  taken  the  only  weapon  out  of  my  hands,  and  to  have 
forcibly  detained  a  man  of  his  prominence  in  the  government 
would  have  been  to  bring  a  hornet's  nest  about  our  ears." 
These  conjectures  threw  Ikeda  into  a  state  of  abject  fear. 

"It  will  go  nigh  to  our  death,  Saito!"  he  wailed,  wringing  his 
hands.  "Say,  are  we  yet  too  late  to  effect  our  escape?  Is  it  too  late, 
Saito?" 

He  crossed  swiftly  to  a  shoji  and  threw  it  open,  gazing  down  on 
the  Nightless  Street. 

"See!"  he  exclaimed  in  a  whisper,  "there  appear  none  on  the 
streets  whom  we  need  fear.  We  may  yet  make  good  our  escape ! 
There  is  time  if  we  hurry !  There  is  time !" 

Saito  regarded  him  with  a  brave  man's  contempt  for  such  a 
display  of  arrant  cowardice. 

"Of  course  there  is  time,"  said  he.  "Listen  closely  to  what  I  say. 
I  am  going  into  the  city  to  see  how  far  this  affair  has  gone.  Do 
you  prepare  your  daughter  and  yourself  for  immediate  departure, 
taking  'ricksha  to  Shinagawa,  where  you  may  await  me  at  my 
abode.  I  will  join  you  there,  and  we  can  take  junk  immediately  to 
Satsuma." 

He  turned  to  go,  but  Tanaka,  who  had  been  a  silent  listener  to 
this,  broke  in  with — 

"Not  so  fast,  my  lord.  What  about  the  funds  advanced  by  me  to 
the  honorable  Ikeda?" 

"What  in  the  name  of  all  the  gods  of  hell  have  I  to  do  with  your 
affairs?"  demanded  Saito,  fiercely.  He  was  already  tried  beyond 
his  patience  by  the  events  of  that  day,  and  it  needed  but  little  more 
to  ignite  his  fury,  like  spark  to  powder. 

"I  must  have  my  monies,  nevertheless,"  replied  Tanaka,  with  an 
air  of  insolence  bred  of  the  knowledge  that  he  was  a  creditor  of 


242  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  chief  one  of  the  conspiracy.  "I  care  naught  for  your  rebellion, 
but  the  loss  of  yen  three  thousand  will  go  nigh  to  ruin  me." 

Here  was  a  new  stumbling  block  to  Saito's  present  plans.  He 
realized  that  the  least  outcry — such  as  this  fellow  would  undoubt- 
edly make — would  bring  the  authorities  buzzing  about  their  ears, 
and  then  farewell  to  Satsuma  for  any  of  them.  He  thrust  his  face, 
now  fierce  and  passion-inflamed,  to  within  an  inch  of  Tanaka's. 

"A  loud  tongue  will  go  still  nearer  to  ruin  you,"  he  snarled,  so 
savagely  that  Tanaka  shrank  from  him,  "bear  that  in  mind,  you 
insolent  dog.  Now  Ikeda,"  he  added  to  the  latter,  "attend  to  what 
I  directed,  and  make  all  speed." 

Ikeda,  fearful  that  without  Saito's  protection  Tanaka  would 
seek  to  coerce  him,  grasped  Ren-ko  by  the  sleeve  with  the  inten- 
tion of  their  following  Saito  from  the  house,  but  Tanaka,  divining 
his  purpose,  caught  at  her  to  detain  her. 

"You  shall  not  take  her !"  he  cried.  "She  is  my  property.  I  hold 
a  document  of  her  sale  to  me !" 

He  strove  to  drag  her  from  her  father's  clutch,  and  in  the  scuf- 
fle that  ensued,  Ren-ko,  hurt  by  their  roughness,  cried  aloud  for 
help.  Steps  were  heard  running  up  the  back  stairway,  and  a  heavy 
tread  upon  the  bridge.  Saito  glanced  swiftly  about  him,  and  espy- 
ing Ikeda's  swords  upon  the  rack,  reached  them  with  one  bound. 
He  seized  the  first  that  came  to  his  hand,  and  drawing  it  from  its 
scabbard,  whirled  the  bare  blade  aloft,  while  the  room  danced  a 
mad,  joyous  riot  of  red  blood  before  his  eyes.  Tanaka  stood  di- 
rectly before  him,  still  holding  Ren-ko  with  Ikeda  on  her  other 
side.  With  a  smothered  shout,  Saito  rushed  for  Tanaka,  the  steel 
encircling  his  head  in  bright,  angry  flashes. 

Then  it  was  that  her  father,  bewildered  by  the  action  of  Saito, 
in  his  excitement  passed  in  front  of  her  as  Saito  struck  blindly 
at  Tanaka,  and  the  great  blade  went  crashing  through  Ikeda's 
skull.  Not  a  cry  escaped  from  her  father  as  he  collapsed  face 
downwards  upon  the  mats — dead. 

Saito  dropped  the  sword,  brought  to  his  senses  by  this  calamity, 
and  Tanaka,  loosening  his  hold  of  Ren-ko,  slunk  shivering  into 
the  toko-no-ma.  A  shriek  broke  from  Ren-ko,  followed  by  a  long 
low  wail,  as  she  threw  herself  on  her  father's  body.  In  awe-struck 


COMES  MIGHTY  MAHMUD  WITH  HIS  SWORD  243 

silence  Saito  regarded  the  results  of  his  deed,  then  as  the  foot- 
steps approached  the  shoji,  flung  himself  through  it  with  an  oath, 
colliding  with  the  just  entering  form  of  Goto.  Before  the  baron 
could  recover  himself,  Saito  had  reached  the  rear  stairway  and 
disappeared. 

Goto  paused  on  the  threshold  and  noted  the  scene.  Before  him 
lay  Saburo  Ikeda,  his  distorted  features  upturned  in  a  motley  of 
blood  and  hair,  and  beside  him,  her  face  buried  in  her  father's 
kimono,  was  Ren-ko. 

Goto,  believing  at  first  that  both  had  been  slain,  crossed  to  the 
bodies  and  stooped  over  Ren-ko  to  raise  her,  when  Tanaka,  fear- 
ful for  the  loss  of  his  property,  emerged  from  the  toko-no-ma, 
and  placing  his  hand  rudely  on  Goto's  white  waistcoat,  pushed 
him  from  her. 

"You  shall  not  touch  her !"  he  shrieked  to  Goto.  "You  shall  not 
have  her !  She  is  mine,  I  tell  you !  I  hold  the  bond  of  her  sale." 

Goto,  his  eyes  fairly  ablaze,  whirled  on  Tanaka  like  a  flash,  and 
literally  tore  him  from  Ren-ko. 

"The  collector  of  mummies  will  soon  be  one  himself !"  he  shout- 
ed, and  flung  Tanaka  crashing  through  the  shoji.  Tanaka,  striking 
backwards  on  the  balcony  ledge,  bounded  to  the  low  bamboo  rail- 
ing, which  the  weight  of  his  body  broke  through,  and  fell  to  the 
courtyard  below,  where  he  lay  a  groaning,  quivering  heap.  Goto 
turned,  and  bent  over  Ren-ko  again. 
"Poor  child!"  said  he  in  perplexity,  "poor  child." 

She  raised  her  head  and  looked  up  at  him. 
"Oh,  take  me  from  this !  Please  take  me  from  this !"  she  cried. 

A  great  thought  came  to  Goto. 

"'The  old  tree  has  need  of  fresh  branches  for  shade',"  he  mut- 
tered. "I  shall  be  over  lonely  after  Taro  leaves  me." 

He  put  forth  his  hands  suddenly  and  plucked  her  up  into  his 
arms. 

"Banzai !"  roared  Baron  Goto  as  he  bore  Ren-ko  across  the 
Bridge  of  Love. 


MfeT 

J/~       —  •  *«• 


XXI 

THE    ANGEL    BY    THE   RIVER-BRINK 

So  when  the  Angel  of  the  darker  Drink 
At  last  shall  find  you  by  the  river-brink, 

And,  offering  his  Cup,  invite  your  Soul 
Forth  to  your  Lips  to  quaff — you  shall  not  shrink.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

1  H  E  day  following,  Tokiyori  learned  through  the  baron  of  the 
events  that  had  happened  after  his  departure  from  the  houses  of 
The  Jewel  River.  Further  it  appeared  that  Tanaka — though  great- 
ly injured  by  the  fall  he  had  received  at  the  baron's  hands — had 
already  made  requisition  to  the  authorities  for  the  return  of  Ren- 


THE  ANGEL  BY  THE  RIVER  BRINK  245 

ko  to  his  house,  a  piece  of  information  that  was  causing  the  baron 
the  greatest  concern,  until  Tokiyori  informed  him  of  the  existence 
of  such  proof  against  the  loyalty  of  Tanaka  as  would  cause  his 
imprisonment. 

With  Tanaka's  coming  trial  for  conspiracy,  Tokiyori  foresaw 
that  the  fact  of  his  visits  to  the  Yoshiwara  would  become  public, 
and  his  character,  with  the  world's  usual  charitable  interpretation, 
suffer  accordingly,  particularly  in  the  light  of  his  recent  ardent 
speeches  against  such  cases  of  Yoshiwara  traffic  as  Ren-ko's.  In 
imagination  he  already  anticipated  the  smiles  of  polite  incredulity 
with  which  his  next  speech  against  the  ruination  of  young  woman- 
hood would  be  received  by  the  Diet.  On  the  conclusion  of  the  bar- 
on's tale,  he  requested  permission  to  call  upon  Ren-ko  Ikeda  that 
day. 

"The  Lady  Ren-ko  Ikeda,"  said  Goto,  drawing  himself  up  very 
grandly,  "has  done  me  the  honor  to  become  one  of  my  family.  Her 
past  life  is  not  my  affair — is,  indeed,  a  closed  book — but  from  now 
on  she  is  the  Lady  Ren-ko  Goto,  daughter  of  General  Baron  Goto 
of  the  Imperial  Army." 

"My  dear  baron,"  answered  Tokiyori,  "I  assure  you  that  I  both 
have,  and  have  always  had,  the  utmost  respect  for  the  Lady  Ren- 
ko  Goto.  It  has  been  one  of  the  privileges  of  my  life  that  I  have 
been  honored  with  her  slight  acquaintance.  With  your  consent,  I 
will  pay  my  respects  to  your  daughter  this  afternoon." 

"My  daughter,"  said  the  baron,  "will  be  at  home  to  your  dis- 
tinguished visit.  I  must  make  excuses  for  my  absence,  as  Taro  is 
sailing  for  America  and  I  must  accompany  him  to  Yokohama  this 
afternoon." 

Tokiyori  spent  the  greater  part  of  that  day  at  his  desk  in  the 
Diet  chambers,  but,  as  the  afternoon  wore  on,  took  'ricksha  to  the 
besso  Ayame — the  villa  of  the  Iris — as  Goto  had  named  his  Mu- 
kojima  residence.  His  reasons  for  so  doing  were  twofold:  first,  an 
uncontrollable  desire  to  see  Ren-ko  again,  and  also  because  some 
understanding  as  to  their  future  relationship  must  be  arrived  at. 
As  Goto's  adopted  daughter  her  position  would  be  vastly  differ- 
ent, and  their  opportunities  for  meeting  socially  unavoidable. 
How  then  were  they  to  meet  before  the  world? 


246  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Close  by  the  bank  of  the  Sumida  lay  the  villa  Ayame,to  the  gate- 
way of  which  a  glade  of  larch  and  maple  led.  From  there  a  grace- 
fully arching  bridge  brought  the  visitor  into  the  gardens,  through 
which  a  brook  descended  in  a  series  of  little  cascades,  passing  be- 
neath two  lower  bridges,  until  it  flowed  into  the  waters  of  the  dark 
Sumida.  The  residence  was  girt  with  a  high  hedge,  and  past  this  a 
lane  ran,  disclosing  unexpected  nooks  and  corners  of  surprising 
loveliness.  Not  far  away  the  traffic  plied  to  and  from  the  Cherry 
Avenue,  yet  so  secluded  was  Ayame  that  it  was  unheard  by  the 
dwellers  of  the  besso. 

At  the  gateway  Tokiyori  descended  from  his 'ricksha,  and  cross- 
ing the  bridge  that  led  to  the  gardens,  turned  into  the  lane  on  his 
way  to  the  courtyard  of  the  house.  New  fallen  snow  carpeted  the 
grounds  and  lay  in  a  fluffy  mantle  on  the  curved  house-tops  and 
foliage.  Here  and  there  under  the  white  covered  trees  little  col- 
ored lanterns  peeped  unexpectedly,  lighted  in  anticipation  of  the 
approaching  short  twilight,  although  the  stains  spilled  by  the  rud- 
dy sun's  goblet  had  not  yet  been  removed  by  the  tireless  servant 
Dusk,  who  prepares  the  apartments  for  Night.  Suddenly  Toki- 
yori heard  his  name  exclaimed — his  name  of  his  other  life — 
"Take  san !" 

He  glanced  about  and  perceived  Ren-ko  standing  beneath  the 
silver  hangings  of  a  tree.  A  lantern  swung  just  before  her  from 
an  adjacent  bough;  she  put  this  lightly  aside  with  one  shapely 
hand  so  that  he  saw  her  face. 

There  were  traces  of  sorrow  upon  it,  intensifying  her  wondrous 
beauty,  and  in  it  was  reflected,  unmistakably,  her  marvelous  love 
— for  him.  Again  she  called  in  a  voice  rich  with  perfect  happiness 
at  his  nearness — 
"Take  san!" 

The  doubts  regarding  their  future  relationship  that  had  assailed 
him  since  learning  of  her  adoption  by  Goto  suddenly  cleared  away. 
He  bowed  most  courteously. 

"Baron  Goto's  daughter,  I  believe?"  he  asked.  "Permit  me  to  of- 
fer my  respects  to  you.  The  baron  called  upon  me  at  my  offices  a 
few  short  hours  since." 

For  the  moment  Ren-ko  was  stunned.  The  cold,  deliberately 


THE  ANGEL  BY  THE  RIVER  BRINK  247 

polite  tones  and  manner  were  so  different  to  what  she  had  pic- 
tured their  meetings  would  be. 

"Are  you  not  glad  to  see  me?"  she  faltered. 

"Honored,  rather,"  he  answered,  again  bowing. 

"It  is  all  so  different  from  what  it  was,"  she  continued.  "Then,  if 
you  recollect,  the  cherry  gave  you  its  morning  fragrance.  Now 
that  I  am  no  longer  the  cherry" — an  allusion  to  her  late  "house 
name" — "I  may  blow  for  you  the  live-long  day." 

His  heart  was  sick  within  him  with  the  hurts  he  was  dealing 
her ;  she  was  after  all  such  a  child  in  sophistry,  despite  her  clever- 
ness and  worldly  experience. 

"Again  I  am  honored,"  he  answered,  most  courteously.  "But, 
pardon  me.  I  note  that  you  address  me  as  Take,  whereas  my  name 
is  Tokiyori — Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  the  Imperial  Diet." 

"But  to  me  always  Take  san,"  she  replied,  quickly. 

"I  would  it  were  my  lot  to  be  so  fortunate,"  said  he,  again  bow- 
ing, "yet  I  fear  that  you  have  confused  me  with  some  other  of 
your  acquaintance.  I  assure  you  the  former  is  my  only  name." 

She  opened  her  eyes  wide,  inarticulate  for  the  moment  in  her 
astonishment. 

"Would  you  have  me  believe  that  I  never  called  you  Take  san,  a 
name  I  have  grown  to  have  the  tenderest  recollections  of?"  she 
asked,  finally. 

"A  probable  resemblance  to  the  one  you  so  designate  has  pos- 
sibly misled  you,"  he  equivocated.  It  seemed  so  cruel  a  thing  to 
tell  her  what  he  knew  he  must.  "This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been 
privileged  to  meet  Baron  Goto's  daughter,"  he  added. 

Hurt  as  she  was,  she  determined  to  force  him  to  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  what  he  was  to  her.  What  mattered  it  whether  he 
called  himself  Take  or  Tokiyori,  whether  unknown  or  famed, 
poor  or  rich.  All  that  she  desired  to  know  was  whether  or  no  he 
loved  her. 

"Have  you  then  also  forgotten  Flower  Soul?"  she  asked,  with  a 
studied  calmness. 

"I  never  knew  it,  I  fear,"  he  answered,  imperturbably. 

She  shivered  slightly,  although  her  eyes  were  like  hibatchi 
coals. 


248  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"Naturally,  then,"  said  she,  with  a  dangerous  sweetness  of  man- 
ner, "you  could  not  have  known  Take  san." 

"I  assure  you  I  have  not  that  pleasure,"  he  replied. 
She  came  a  few  steps  closer  to  him. 

"I  see,  now,  my  mistake,"  said  she,  quietly.  "Take  san — to  whom 
I  refer — was  the  very  soul  of  gentleness  and  honor.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  himself  to  be  otherwise.  Yet  the  first  likeness 
was  so  startling  that  I  actually  mistook  you  for  him.  You  are  pos- 
itive you  know  nothing  of  my  Take  san?" 

"Absolutely,"  he  assured  her,  coldly.  "I  am,  as  I  informed  you, 
Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  the  Imperial  Diet.  I  fear  that  pressure 
of  duties  to  the  State  allow  me  all  too  few  opportunities  for  cul- 
tivating the  acquaintance  of  people  outside  their  purview.  It  is  a 
misfortune  by  which  I  acknowledge  myself  the  loser." 

She  met  his  denial  with  apparent  sang  froid,  its  reason  she 
thought  she  understood.  He  desired  to  show  her  that  a  wide  social 
circle  lay  between  Count  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  of  Moto  and  Shima, 
and  a  former  geisha  of  the  Flower  Quarter — albeit  she  was  now 
the  adopted  daughter  of  one  of  his  friends — which  one  known  as 
Take  san  could  now  no  longer  bridge  over. 

"Take  san,"  she  explained  to  him,  "was  in  every  way,  I  think, 
worth  the  knowing ;  the  loss  is  indeed  your  lordship's.  His  was  a 
character  that  would,  I  am  sure,  have  interested  you  greatly.  In 
appearance  he  was,  as  I  have  said,  startlingly  your  counterpart, 
saving  that  his  eyes  were  perhaps  more  tender  and  his  manner  less 
formal.  But  it  was,  after  all,  to  the  mind  and  soul  of  the  man  that 
one  looked  for  his  real  self.  I  do  not  think  a  soul  could  ever  have 
been  fashioned  more  beautifully  than  was  the  real  soul  of  Take 
san.  And  he  loved,  yes,  I  know  he  loved  all  humanity,  all  suffering 
ones,  with  that  great,  hidden,  poet-nature  of  his,  as  tenderly  as  the 
early  cherry,  and  as  warmly  as  the  autumn  maple,  and  as  mightily 
as  the  strong  winter  pine.  His  soul  was  all  of  these,  and  it  could 
not  lie.  I  knew  him  in — it  matters  not  where,  no  locality  could 
hold  the  soul  of  Take  san.  It  was  of  everywhere,  and  of  no  par- 
ticular where,  and  it  was  human — oh,  but  it  was  human !  He  was 
of  the  north,  he  said — a  student  of  the  fishes ;  but  I  think  that  he 
was  the  greatest  teacher  of  all,  for  he  taught  but  the  nude  truth. 


THE  ANGEL  BY  THE  RIVER  BRINK  249 

It  is  strange — now  that  I  come  to  think  of  it — that  I  should  have 
mistaken  your  lordship  for  my  Take  san." 

He  winced,  while  still  preserving  his  outwardly  composed  de- 
meanor. Ren-ko  noted  it,  and,  with  true  feminine  tenderness,  in- 
tuitively picked  out  the  most  raw  spots  to  play  upon. 

"Thus,"  said  she,  "was  my  Take — one  who  came  once  into  a  gar- 
den where  grew  many  flowers.  Some  of  them  were  brilliant,  some 
faded,  yet  all  were  befouled  because  the  soil  in  which  they  grew 
was  impure.  In  the  night  time  many  lanterns  festooned  this  gar- 
den, and  then  all  the  flowers  appeared  brightly  hued  and  happy — 
it  was  only  in  the  daylight  that  one  could  see  they  were  not  fresh 
flowers.  Yet  Take  came  to  the  garden  often,  and  he  looked  with  a 
sorrowing  love  on  all  the  flowers,  bright  or  faded,  because  he  was 
a  poet,  and  he  knew  and  understood,  and  loved  the  handicraft  of 
the  gods,  good  or  evil.  One  he  named  Flower  Soul,  and  each  day 
he  taught  it  to  blow  its  perfume  ever  sweeter,  telling  it  wondrous 
tales  of  gardens  where  dwelt  the  gods,  until  the  soul  of  this  flower 
was  ravished,  and  it  came  to  blow  its  petals  for  Take,  only.  Oh, 
say,  my  lord,"  she  broke  off,  "have  you  never  known  such  a  one  as 
Take — Take  san  who  loved  the  flowers  so  ?" 

It  seemed  to  him  as  though  she  were  some  avenging  goddess, 
given  the  power  of  words  that  were  both  nard  and  hyssop.  The 
right  to  inflict  pain  was  now  hers,  and  he  mentally  acknowledged 
the  justice  of  its  use.  He  had  deliberately  and  successfully  taught 
her  to  love  him  that  he  might  the  surer  draw  from  her  admissions 
concerning  her  father  and  Saito,  and  now  that  he  had  fallen  into 
his  own  trap — had  found  his  most  potent  weapon  turned  against 
himself — he  could  have  no  cause  of  complaint.  By  a  superhuman 
effort  he  stifled  his  desire  to  take  her  into  his  arms,  forgetting  all 
else  other  than  their  love,  for  the  hour  of  his  punishment  was  at 
hand.  She  watched  intently  for  the  effect  of  her  words  upon  him, 
and  then  went  on. 

"But  what  matter  mere  names?  Whether  Take  or  Tokiyori, 
whether  Flower  Soul  or  Ren-ko,  the  man  is  the  man,  and  the 
woman  the  woman;  between  them  but  the  oneness  of  their  love 
trod  in  a  rose-blood  torrent  from  the  grape  of  their  lives.  Can  a 
woman  and  man  stand  before  one  another  with  bared  souls  and 
then  so  cloak  these  as  to  be  a  stranger  semblance  to  each  other 


25O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

ever  after?  Man-made  we  stand  before  one  another,  but  god-made 
we  came  into  this  world;  who  dare  attempt  the  reformation  of 
that  fashioned  by  the  gods?  Are  you  a  greater  artist?  Our  souls 
are  ours — or;  rather,  we  are  our  souls,  and  what  is  sent  into  them 
is  from  the  gods — not  from  man.  Into  the  garden  of  my  soul  were 
you  sent  to  make  its  flowers  pure — why  may  I  not  keep  that  which 
was  sent  into  my  soul?" 
He  found  his  voice  at  last. 

"Lent — not  sent,  Ren-ko,  my  lotus,  thou  emblem  of  purity  found 
in  impurity." 

She  gave  a  delighted  little  cry  of  rapture ;  he  had  acknowledged 
her. 

"Lent  or  sent,"  she  answered,  happily,  "it  was  by  the  gods  in 
either  case." 

Without  the  least  connection,  there  suddenly  flashed  across  his 
mind  some  forgotten  words  : 

"Through  paths  that  are  very  difficult  will  the  way  run  toward 
the  City  of  Desire." 

With  an  effort  he  recalled  that  they  had  once  been  uttered  by 
the  friend  and  attendant  of  his  boyhood,  the  old  hanashika  of  his 
family,  Nakahara.  He  must  bring  her  to  see  the  truth  of  these. 

"It  was  a  loan  of  the  gods,"  he  conceded,  "but  one  that  we  must 
some  day  give  an  accounting  of." 

"And,  if  a  real  loan,  a  living  thing !"  she  cried  in  ecstasy.  "You 
must  have  believed  it !  You  must  have  known  it  was  the  loan  of 
yourself  to  me?" 

"It  was — and  is,"  he  answered  simply. 

"Then  why  do  you  seek  to  take  it  from  me?"  she  went  on  with 
a  display  of  righteous  indignation.  "If  the  gods  have  loaned  you 
to  me,  what  right  have  you  to  seek  to  deprive  me  of  yourself?  It 
is  theirs  to  give  in  life,  to  take  away  in  death.  What  right  have 
you,"  she  repeatedly  fiercely,  "to  tamper  with  that  which  belongs 
to  the  gods  ?" 

"Because,"  he  answered,  slowly  and  sorrowfully,  "it  is  a  loan 
which  some  day  we — you  and  I — will  be  called  upon  to  return  as 
honored  as  when  received.  We  would  but  sully  it  by  longer  use 
now.  We  may  not — cannot — efface  its  memory  I  know,  but  at 
least  we  may  strive  to  keep  that  memory  bright  as  well  as  fresh." 


THE  ANGEL  BY  THE  RIVER  BRINK  25! 

For  the  first  time  since  the  great  change  in  her  life  he  touched 
her — laid  his  hand  upon  her  head,  gently,  with  a  sorrowful,  wist- 
ful caress,  such  a  caress  as  one  gives  to  one  departed  from  all 
present  earthly  communication. 

"There  is  honor,  Ren-ko — as  much  to  your  life  as  mine — that 
must  always  forerun  good  love.  My  honor  is  my  duty — yours,  I 
think,  to  assist  that  honor  in  its  fulfillment.  The  honor  of  each  of 
us  is  separate  and  distinct,  yet  indissolubly  wedded.  You  would 
not  degrade  our  love  to  the  level  of  beasts  of  the  field?  I  know 
that,  as  you  say,  Take  did  not  lie  to  Flower  Heart  when  speaking 
with  his  soul,  so  neither  did  Flower  Heart  lie  to  Take.  Even  in 
the  evil  surroundings  where  they  came  to  find  their  love,  their  in- 
tercourse was  founded  on  respect — a  spiritual  marriage  bed  whose 
coverlets  were  honor.  I  want  to  keep  the  memory  of  what  it  meant 
fragrant,  not  soiled.  Some  day  must  my  little  daughter  grow  up, 
and  love  and  be  loved.  I  could  wish  her  no  better  and  truer  love 
than  is  our  real,  underlying  love,  if  you  will  but  help  me  keep  it 
so." 

He  gazed  upon  her  with  a  look,  the  sincerity  of  which  there 
was  no  mistaking. 

"You  must  see,  O  Heart  of  Mine,  what  must  be — and  why.  It  is 
as  necessary  to  the  continuance  of  our  love  as  is  ever  untainted 
air  to  our  lives.  It  means  that  we  must  not  attempt  to  know  one 
another  again,  as  we  have  known — can  but  speak  to  each  other 
only  through  the  mouths  of  assembled  friends — gaze  each  on  the 
other  only  through  the  eyes  of  those  in  whose  company  we  chance 
to  meet,  for  in  future  it  is  there  alone  where  we  must  meet.  Yet, 
through  it  all,  shall  we  have  the  comfort  of  our  great  love,  abid- 
ing, all  sacrificing,  known  but  to  us,  existing  in  that  utter  silence 
that  is  the  perfect  test  of  its  worth  and  endurance.  It  may  be  that 
some  day  the  gods,  because  of  so  great  an  interpretation  of  their 
own  loves,  will  grant  that  we  commingle  in  thought.  I  think  that 
such  will  be — nay,  I  believe  it.  By  the  favor  of  the  gods  may  our 
thoughts,  when  flashed  across  the  space  dividing  us,  bring  no 
harmful  attendants  with  them,  O  thou  Thought-Life  of  mine! — 
sayonara !" 


252  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

When  she  raised  her  head  naught  material  remained  of  him  but 
the  imprint  of  his  feet  in  the  snow.  She  clasped  her  hands  over 
her  heart  with  a  gesture  of  sharp  pain.  It  was  the  end.  The  short 
twilight  had  fallen,  tracing  soft  loving  lines  about  her  face  and 
form,  retouching  the  large  luster  violet  eyes,  liquid  with  their  un- 
shed tears.  Dowered  beyond  the  avarice  for  beauty  of  woman,  it 
seemed  her  gifts  were  granted  her  but  that  they  might  be  used  to 
destroy  her  birthright. 

His  footprint  in  the  snow  told  how  close  to  her  he  had  just 
stood.  Reverently  she  knelt,  stooped  and  touched  it  with  her  lips. 


XXII 

OVER    THE    FLAMING    SHOULDERS   OF  THE  FOAL 


I  tell  you  this — When,  started  from  the  Goal, 
Over  the  flaming  shoulders  of  the  Foal 

Of  Heav'n  Parwin  and  Mushtari  they  Hung, 
In  my  predestined  Plot  of  Dust  and  Soul.  .    .   .—OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

CONSTERNATION  reigned  in  Tokyo  next  day  among  govern- 
mental officials  and  populace,  for  the  news  of  Saburo  Ikeda's 
death  in  The  Jewel  River  had  been  made  public.  Thus  was  dis- 
closed the  plot  on  which  he  had  been  engaged,  and  the  subsequent 
flight  of  Saito.  For  the  Diet,  and  those  to  whom  the  maintenance 


254  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

of  governmental  supremacy  intact  was  paramount,  trying  days 
were  in  store;  for  the  masses — to  whom  was  Saito  a  hero  and  a 
darling — eager  sensation  and  expectancy.  It  was  known  that, 
after  the  killing  of  Ikeda — who  in  death  achieved  a  prominence 
that  would  have  gladdened  the  latter  years  of  his  life — Saito  had 
succeeded  in  getting  clear  of  the  Yoshiwara,  but  there  all  clue  as 
to  his  movements  abruptly  terminated.  The  government  feared, 
and  the  people  hoped,  that  he  had  succeeded  in  making  good  his 
escape  to  Satsuma,  and  was  already  at  the  head  of  several  thou- 
sand ronin  samurai  who  would  call  him  lord  and  captain. 

What  actually  had  happened  was  that,  after  escaping  through 
the  Yoshiwara  O-mon,  Saito  made  directly  for  the  house  of  a 
friend  where  a  horse  was  ever  in  readiness  for  him  against  such 
an  emergency,  relays  being  maintained  at  various  points  along  the 
Tokaido.  He  had  ridden  hard  to  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and 
then  a  sudden  thought  occurring  to  him,  turned  his  steed's  head 
in  the  direction  of  the  Shiba  woodlands — an  act  in  keeping  with 
the  utter  recklessness  of  his  character  when  aroused. 

In  the  depths  of  Shiba  he  drew  rein  and,  dismounting,  advanced 
cautiously  to  the  same  balcony  up  which  he  had  once  climbed  to 
Kiku-ko,  lured  by  what  wild  intentions  the  gods  alone  know. 
Then  again  the  woodlands  heard  the  song  of  the  Island  of  Tsu- 
shima, but  this  time  only  the  woodlands  answered  seemingly,  yet 
was  convinced  that  Kiku-ko  had  heard. 

That  night  a  horse  and  rider  tore  through  Shinagawa,  saddle 
housings  and  heaving  flanks  a  creamy  lather,  and  before  the  star- 
tled inhabitants  could  catch  more  than  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  steed 
or  horseman,  were  swallowed  by  the  outer  darkness.  The  vil- 
lagers, believing  it  to  be  a  messenger  of  the  government  riding 
for  one  of  the  prefectures,  returned  to  their  warm  futons,  and 
Saito  passed  toward  the  long  stretch  of  the  Tokaido,  and  on  to 
Satsuma. 

Thereafter,  and  for  the  ensuing  several  months,  events  came 
and  went  with  an  ever-changing  rapidity.  Rumors  of  the  pro- 
gress of  the  revolt  soon  reached  Tokyo  from  stricken  or  beleag- 
uered provinces  and  towns.  Now  they  had  sacked  that  stronghold, 
now  they  had  razed  this  fortalice,  and  with  each  fresh  reported 


OVER  THE  FLAMING  SHOULDERS  OF  THE  FOAL  255 

success  Saito's  prestige  rose  higher  and  higher  with  the  masses, 
until  he  became  openly  deified  as  an  almost  god.  At  last  it  was 
plain  that  one  of  two  things  must  happen — either  Saito  and  his 
cause  must  be  swiftly  defeated,  subdued  and  broken,  or  Nippon 
would  be  plunged  into  another  civil  war  that  would  bid  fair  to 
outdo  that  leading  to  the  glorious  restoration  of  the  Mikado.. 

At  this  juncture  the  hopes  of  the  Imperialists  were  focused 
upon  General  Goto,  who  was  forthwith  ordered  to  Satsuma  in 
command  of  a  large  corps.  Goto  accepted  this  mission  with  the 
joy  natural  to  a  soldier  when  ordered  on  active  service,  the  one 
drawback  to  his  happiness  being  the  still  unsettled  claim  of  Tan- 
aka  of  The  Jewel  River  for  the  person  of  Ren-ko,  pending  in  the 
courts.  Remembering  Tokiyori's  hints  of  proofs  against  the  loyal- 
ty of  Tanaka,  Goto  had  recourse  to  the  former,  his  mind  being 
relieved  when  Tokiyori  promised  that  such  a  prosecution  would 
be  brought  against  Tanaka  as  would  effectually  preserve  Ren-ko 
from  further  apprehension  from  that  source.  So  in  the  last  of 
Gogatsu  (the  fifth  month),  Goto  had  departed  with  his  staff  in  all 
pomp  and  splendor  for  the  seat  of  war. 

Nine  weeks  elapsed,  bringing  news  from  the  front  of  Goto's 
hemming  in  of  Saito's  forces  on  the  lowlands  of  Satsuma,  and  the 
consequent  impossibility  of  escape  for  the  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred odd  rebels  through  the  net  drawn  about  them ;  bringing  also 
the  event  of  Tanaka's  trial  for  treason.  True  to  his  word,  Toki- 
yori appeared  in  person  against  the  owner  of  The  Jewel  River,  a 
step  that  resulted  in  Tanaka's  conviction,  he  being  awarded  a 
term  of  six  years  penal  servitude  as  a  partlceps  criminis  to  the 
conspiracy,  and  his  property  declared  forfeit. 

This  was  not  accomplished  without  the  disclosure  of  Tokiyori's 
visits  to  the  Flower  Quarter,  and  it  would  be  superfluous  to  de- 
tail the  avidity  with  which  the  press  seized  upon  this  "scandal  in 
high  life,"  or  how — by  suggestion  and  otherwise — it  linked  the 
names  of  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  and  Ren-ko,  born  Ikeda.  As  a  climax, 
Tanaka's  terrific  denunciation  of  his  accuser  in  open  court  ran 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

"Not  I,  but  you,  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,"  he  thundered,  as  he  was  led 
forth  to  his  sentence,  "are  the  traitor  spurned  of  the  gods !  Why 


256  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

tell  you  not  also  to  this  tribunal  that  your  name,  in  your  own 
hand,  and  over  your  own  seal,  was  added  to  the  scroll — placed 
there  at  the  bidding  of  your  mistress?  Why  tell  you  not  of  an 
hundred  visits  paid  her?  Of  the  long  hours  spent — not  in  a  public 
room  as  customary  for  geisha  entertainment — in  private  in  her 
own  chamber?  Why  did  you  sign  that  document  if  you  were  not 
of  the  conspiracy?  Why  linger  in  the  arms  of  my  geisha  if  you 
were  not  her  lover  ?  Why  swear  to  assist  her  and  her  father  with 
your  wealth  and  influence?  Condemn,  imprison  me  as  you  will,  I 
tell  you  that  you  stand  before  all  a  worse  traitor  to  your  country, 
your  name  and  the  honor  of  your  family,  than  I  whom  you  have 
caused  to  be  sentenced,  and  by  the  spirits  of  my  departed  yujo, 
Tokiyori  Yo-Ake,  I  swear  that  you  and  I  shall  ere  long  stand  to- 
gether before  a  tribunal  of  the  gods  to  advance  our  claims  of  jus- 
tice— I  have  spoken." 

That  day  the  story  of  Tokiyori  and  Ren-ko,  The  Jewel  River 
and  the  room  across  the  Bridge  of  Love,  was  borne  to  a  thousand 
ears ;  over  hill  and  valley  it  went,  through  temple  and  hovel,  and 
under  the  great  gate  of  Shima  and  the  little  portal  of  the  Shiba 
besso.  One  alone,  perhaps,  sorrowed  understandingly,  whilst  fast 
and  thick  fell  the  tear-drops  at  the  villa  of  the  Iris.  Not  Tanaka 
of  The  Jewel  River,  but  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  of  Moto  and  Shima  had 
been  on  his  trial. 


XXIII 

BLOWN    FLOWERS 

Oh  threats  of  Hell  and  Hopes  of  Paradise! 
One  thing  at  least  is  certain — THIS  Life  flies; 
One  thing  is  certain  and  the  rest  is  Lies; 
The  Flower  that  once  has  blown  for  ever  dies. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


September,  tinting  with  burnt  umber  the  lotus  leaves. 
Against  an  overhanging  headland  in  the  lowlands  of  Satsuma  a 
moaning  sea  was  tapping  occult  warnings,  unheeded  by  a  knot  of 
knights  in  rusted  armor  who  crowned  the  headland  crest.  From 
their  feet  a  steep  slope  stretched  away  into  a  great  plain,  alive 


258  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

now  with  a  modern  army.  It  was  the  wane  of  the  day — a  day  of 
fierce  fighting  since  early  dawn,  lulling  a  moment  with  the  setting 
of  the  sun.  Bushido  was  dying  in  a  blaze  of  glory ;  Occidentalism 
triumphing. 

From  among  the  samurai  who  rested  with  their  backs  to  the 
sea  stepped  forth  one,  and  scanned  anxiously  the  distant  serried 
lines  of  the  Imperial  troops  beneath  him.  Then  he  turned  to  his 
comrades,  and  with  a  soldier's  eye  re-marshalled  their  ranks  from 
double  to  single.  The  problem  that  confronted  him  was  past  solu- 
tion— six  months  of  mostly  victorious  fighting,  resulting  only  in  a 
diminution  of  his  force  to  a  scant  half  thousand  men-at-arms ;  all 
retreat  cut  off  by  land  and  sea,  and  against  them  a  score-and-a- 
half  thousand  trained  and  drilled  troops,  armed  with  modern 
weapons. 

The  leader  of  the  samurai  watched  the  maneuverings  of  the 
great  host  preparing  to  speed  up  the  slope  against  him.  Suddenly 
these  faded  from  his  sight,  and  headland,  sea,  plain  and  panoply 
of  war  went  into  a  mist.  A  placid  lake,  over  which  a  magnificent 
castle  peered,  lay  before  him.  He  entered  the  gate  of  this  fortalice, 
and  descending  a  pathway  that  led  to  a  brook,  turned  aside  to  a 
nearby  bower  of  hanging  wistaria.  The  blooms  were  parted  like 
curtains  for  his  entrance — within  sat  beautiful  Shadow,  the  Art- 
Maid.  She  arose,  and  taking  his  hand,  led  him  through  a  garden 
to  the  slope  of  a  great  rainbow.  Together  they  breasted  it,  and 
stood  above  the  world.  Some  hand  was  suddenly  removed  from 
his  eyes. 

Below  him,  and  about,  stretched  the  vast  universe,  alive  with 
the  thoughts  of  men.  Shadow  pointed  to  these. 
"Our  children,"  she  said,  and  that  was  all. 

It  came  to  him  that  aeons  ago  Shadow  and  a  Soldier — the  daugh- 
ter of  Light  and  Darkness,  the  son  of  Thunder  and  Lightning — 
had  populated  the  great  nothingness  with  thoughts — some  good, 
some  evil  and  corrupt.  He  watched  more  closely. 

A  great  war  seemed  in  progress — armies  streaming  after  arm- 
ies. It  was  the  fight  for  the  life  of  the  world — commerce !  an  ever- 
raging  battle  seemingly,  yet  bloodless  because  fought  by  thoughts. 
Beyond  rolled  a  vast  sea,  alive  with  navies.  As  the  vision  grew 
nearer  he  saw  that  these  vessels  were  but  traders — 


BLOWN   FLOWERS  259 

Another  vision :  Nippon  lay  before  his  eyes,  black  smoke — haze 
rising  from  a  myriad  factory  chimneys,  the  clangor  of  machinery, 
deafening  and  insistent.  Her  armies  were  garbed  after  the  fashion 
of  merchants ;  her  navies  bearing  merchandise  instead  of  deadly 
weapons. 

A  red  sun  was  setting  in  a  burst  of  blood ;  the  silver  of  night 
was  gathering  about  the  mouth  of  life's  mold;  the  dawn  would  be 
gold. 

Indistinctly — from  somewhere  not  of  the  vision — he  seemed  to 
hear  three  sullen  shouts,  such  as  gallant  men  might  give  when 
turning  their  faces  to  a  foe  for  the  last  time.  He  broke  his  sword 
across  arid  flung  the  fragments  from  him. 

"Farewell,  Nippon!"  he  cried;  "land  of  the  gods  that  are  no 
more !  The  bones  of  thy  great  gone  shall  rot  in  thy  neglected 
crypts,  nor  shall  thy  quick  know  aught  again  of  honor  in  thy 
name.  Farewell,  Bushido,  thou  valor  of  our  fathers !  Your  noble 
corse  is  gnawed  down  to  its  marrow  by  the  whetted  fangs  of 
trade  and  commerce — farewell !" 

As  night  gathered  in  Baron  Goto  and  his  staff  rode  among  the 
silent  ranks  that  lay  across  the  crest  of  the  headland.  Below  the 
sea  still  moaned,  but  its  occult  tappings  against  the  cliffs  had 
ceased.  The  forelight  of  the  moon  was  pushing  through  the  black, 
oily  wash  of  the  ocean,  giving  sufficient  light  to  distinguish  ob- 
jects with  clearness.  The  general  drew  rein  before  a  little  mound 
of  bodies  whose  position  denoted  the  last  stand,  and  ordered  one 
of  his  staff  to  dismount  and  search  among  the  fallen. 

The  officer,  obeying,  suddenly  gave  an  exclamation,  and  turned 
over  an  armored  figure,  raising  the  cracked  and  battered  casque 
so  that  the  features  of  the  slain  were  visible. 
"It  is,  without  doubt,  Saito  of  Satsuma,"  reported  the  staff  offi- 
cer to  his  general. 

Goto  gazed  down  upon  the  noble  countenance,  once  so  familiar. 
The  moon  arose  and  softened  the  gory  flecks  about  the  disem- 
boweled body.  He  saluted,  solemnly. 

"'The  mother-in-law  must  one  day  give  place  to  the  bride',"  said 
he,  gravely.  "The  old  order  has  passed;  a  gallant  gentleman  has 
gone  from  among  us  this  day." 


260  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Slowly  rode  general  and  staff  back  to  the  Imperial  lines  as  the 
moon  stretched  a  silver  veil  over  the  iron  sleepers  of  Satsuma. 

It  played  over  Shima,  too,  that  night,  tracing  the  lintel  of  the 
great  gate  and  the  leaden  grey  walls  of  other  days  with  a  sad 
familiarity.  Within  the  library  of  the  castle  yashiki  stood  three — 
Lord  Yo-Ake,  Kiku-ko  and  Tokiyori.  Lord  Yo-Ake  was  speaking : 

"If  you  can  find  it  in  your  conscience  to  credit  these  canards 
against  your  husband,  my  daughter,"  said  he,  in  conclusion  to  an 
argument,  "there  is  nothing  further  to  be  urged  against  your  de- 
cision." 

"If  they  are  lies,  why  do  you  not  deny  them?"  she  replied  to  the 
marquis;  "or  you?"  she  added,  addressing  her  husband.  "I  ask 
you  both  for  some  little  word  of  the  meaning  of  these  dreadful 
stories  against  Tokiyori,"  she  continued  to  her  father-in-law,  "and 
you  put  me  off  with  a  dissertation  on  the  evils  of  freedom  of  the 
press,  while  he  refuses  to  make  me  any  answer.  Once  he  told  me 
that  the  right  of  equal  voice  and  judgment  with  man  was  the 
birthright  of  every  woman.  I  claim  that  now;  I  will  abide  with 
him  as  the  wife,  only." 

"It  is  one  of  the  established  tenets  of  all  proper  administration 
of  justice,"  began  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "that  the  innocence  of  the  ac- 
cused is  to  be  presumed  until  disproven  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt.  The  power  of  judgment  is  an  awful  weapon,  to  be  used 
solely  with  the  most  extreme  caution  lest  we  make  of  justice  a 
criminal  suicide — " 

"Can  an  administration  of  justice  mend  broken  marital  rights  for 
the  woman  ?"  interrupted  Kiku-ko. 

She  pointed  to  the  ihai  of  his  dead  wife,  lit  by  its  small,  ever- 
burning lamp. 

"By  the  memory  to  which  that  is  inscribed,"  she  demanded,  "are 
these  accusations  against  my  husband  false  or  true  ?" 

She  waited  a  moment  for  an  answer,  and  then  repeated — 

"Are  they  false  or  true?" 

"Why  do  you  address  yourself  to  me  exclusively?"  asked  Lord 
Yo-Ake,  finally. 

"Because  my  husband's  life  is  open  only  to  you,"  she  replied,  bit- 
terly. 


BLOWN   FLOWERS  26l 

Lord  Yo-Ake  regarded  her  thoughtfully  a  moment.  Almost  be- 
tween them  stood  Tokiyori,  immobile. 

"In  the  Garden  of  Life,"  said  the  marquis,  "some  one  must  be 
appointed  to  tend  the  flowers — not  favored  ones,  but  all.  It  would 
be  a  sorry  gardener,  my  daughter,  who  would  leave  some  to 
chance  dew,  watering  only  those  most  cared  for.  And  though  the 
chrysanthemum,  grown  merely  to  decorate  our  homes,  requires 
more  careful  culture  than  the  foul-grown  lotus — that  beautiful 
emblem  of  purity  rising  from  the  stagnant  pool — he  has  his  duty 
to  each." 

"Now,  I  understand,"  said  she,  in  a  low  voice.  "I  am  not  of  the 
mud  where  the  sacred  lotus  grows ;  I — the  chrysanthemum — was 
born  only  to  adorn.  With  my  husband's  permission,  I  will  retire 
to  Tsushima,  to  our  villa  at  Idzu-ga-hara." 
The  marquis  shook  his  head,  helplessly. 

"And  Aysia?"  he  asked ;  then  added  with  as  near  an  approach  to 
sarcasm  as  he  ever  permitted  to  escape  him,  "and  Aysia?  I  pre- 
sume some  arrangements  for  her  future  should  be  considered?" 
Tokiyori  spoke  for  the  first  time. 

"Aysia  accompanies  her  mother,"  he  announced. 

Kiku-ko  regarded  him  with  a  look  of  grateful  relief,  while  he 
continued,  addressing  her — 

"The  responsibility  devolving  upon  you  because  of  your  choice 
— in  which  I  have  sought  neither  to  urge,  nor  dissuade  you — is 
greater,  possibly,  than  you  at  present  comprehend.  Aysia's  educa- 
tion will  be  conducted  in  America,  England,  and  on  the  Conti- 
nent. It  is  you  who  must  prepare  the  soil  of  her  mind  for  the  har- 
vest. The  soul  of  a  little  maid  is  the  most  delicate  of  all  the  god's 
creations.  No  fabric  was  ever  woven  so  spotlessly ;  none  that  may 
as  easily  be  spoiled.  Once  soil  the  virgin  garment  of  womanhood 
and  the  mantel  is  forever  ruined.  Yet  ignorance  is  of  no  kith  to 
innocence.  I  wish  my  daughter  innocent — like  an  unfolding  flower 
that  sees  all  life  about  it,  the  weeds  and  tares  as  well  as  the  beau- 
tiful verdure,  yet  keeps  its  own  scent  sweet  and  pure.  If  she  is  so 
taught,  some  day  a  husband  may  be  enabled  to  go  to  her  with  se- 
crets of  his  life's  work,  knowing  that  from  such  a  woman  he  will 
receive  naught  but  aid  and  understanding." 


262  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

He  relapsed  into  silence,  and  after  a  few  half-hearted  attempts 
on  the  part  of  his  father  to  alter  Kiku-ko's  decision,  she  took  her 
departure  for  the  besso. 

Lord  Yo-Ake  turned  to  his  son. 

"It  seems  to  be  the  end,"  he  observed;  "regretable,  of  course, 
and  all  the  more  so  because  I  fear  the  knowledge  of  her  decision, 
when  made  public,  will  serve  to  confirm  these  unfortunate  stories 
in  the  papers.  I  can  not  think  you  acted  with  your  usual  wisdom, 
my  son,  when  you  permitted  yourself  to  be  inveigled  into  a  public 
statement  of  your  connection  with  Goto's  adopted  daughter  and 
The  Jewel  River/' 

"My  dear  father,"  answered  his  son,  "I  think  we  humans  are 
but  lanterns  of  the  earth,  lighting  here  and  there  some  little  dark- 
some nook.  Some  nooks  are  so  heavy  with  clinging  growth  that  no 
lantern  light  can  penetrate  them,  others  show  forth  their  hidden 
beauties  in  the  faintest  glimmer.  The  lantern  tender  furnishes  us 
with  wick  and  oil,  hanging  us  in  the  nooks  which  he  deems  best ; 
we  can  but  glow  where  we  are  placed  so  long  as  our  little  lamps 
may  burn." 

"And  when — as  it  seems  with  you,  Tokiyori — the  lantern  is  to  be 
discarded?"  supplemented  his  father. 

"The  lantern  tender  will  replace  the  light  with  a  better  one,"  an- 
swered Tokiyori.  "Nippon  has  no  nook  just  now,  I  feel,  to  hang 
the  lantern  of  my  life  in,  so  I  have  decided  to  take  another  tour  of 
observation  abroad.  There  is  much  to  be  studied,  and  it  may  be 
that  my  light  will  glow  brighter  from  there." 
The  marquis  dropped  his  head  upon  his  chest. 

"I  am  an  old  man,  Tokiyori,"  said  he,  "and  I  fear  the  responsibil- 
ity of  being  alone.  Like  a  darkening  nook,  I  have  come  to  regard 
you  as  my  lantern.  It  is  an  awful  thing  to  be  left — alone — in  the 
dark." 

He  pondered  a  long  time,  while  silence  reigned  in  the  room. 
Finally  he  spoke  as  though  to  himself,  in  low,  dreamy  tones : 

"'A  great  town  once  reared  its  golden  walls  to  guard  a  far-away 
land,  and  a  winding,  oft-hidden  roadway  led  to  this  City  of  De- 
sire. Adown  this  glade  had  passed  in  their  time  many  a  prince, 


BLOWN    FLOWERS  263 

lord,  soldier,  beggar  and  son  of  toil,  all  intent  upon  reaching  the 
gates ;  yet,  because  the  way  was  dark  in  parts  and  fraught  often 
with  pitfalls,  none  had  as  yet  come  anigh  to  the  City  of  Desire'." 

He  came  close  to  his  son,  and  laid  his  two  hands  on  his  shoul- 
ders, looking  earnestly  into  his  eyes. 

"I  know  not,"  said  he,  "whether  Nakahara  had  a  further  mean- 
ing in  his  legend  of  a  samurai  and  a  crow,  told  here  in  that  dark 
year  that  heard  the  American  warships  thundering  at  our  gates ; 
but,  despite  all  our  efforts,  the  roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire  is 
still  a  closed  book.  What  it  is — where  it  is — we  have  not  yet  as- 
certained, only  to  where  it  leads.  Go,  my  son,  and  find  this  road- 
way to  the  City  of  Desire." 


XXIV 

THE   TAVERN    LIGHT 


And  this  I  know:  whether  the  one  True  Light 
Kindle  to  Love,  or  Wrath-consume  me  quite, 

One  Flash  of  It  within  the  Tavern  caught 
Better  than  in  the  Temple  lost  outright.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

1  HE  annual  season  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  ended  as  usual  in  Washington,  seat  of  the  United  States 
Government.  Congress  was  preparing  for  its  long  vacation.  The 
White  House  functions  were  discarded  for  the  hot  months.  The 
birds  of  fashion  were  flitting  hither  and  thither — abroad  for  the 


THE  TAVERN  LIGHT  265 

London  season  and  continental  spas,  or  to  native  resorts  from  the 
Adirondacks  to  the  Sierras.  In  the  city  were  left  but  the  few  gov- 
ernmental clerks,  chained  to  their  Ixion-like  wheels  of  routine, 
and  those  military  and  naval  officers  unable  to  obtain  leave  from 
their  duties.  Thus,  socially  and  departmentally,  a  sense  of  utter 
desolation  lay  from  the  Capitol  to  the  now  deserted  grounds  of 
Chevy  Chase. 

In  the  Metropolitan  Club — cool,  awning- shaded,  inviting — such 
habitues  as  remained  in  town,  perforce,  were  arriving  for  the 
evening — men  in  flannels,  men  in  semi-business  garb.  The  conven- 
tional frock  coat  and  dinner  dress  were  conspicuous  by  their  ab- 
sence, save  in  one  instance,  that  of  Viscount  Sakurai,  Japanese 
ambassador  to  the  United  States,  who,  small,  dapper  and  immacu- 
lately attired,  according  to  the  rigor  of  social  etiquette,  evidently 
awaited  guests,  or  guest,  before  adjourning  to  the  club  dining- 
room. 

Presently  this  latter  arrived,  and  Sakurai  arose  to  greet  him. 
"My  dear  Tokiyori,"  said  he,  warmly,  "I  am  indeed  fortunate.  I 
feared  that  my  poor  invitation  would  scarce  tempt  you  to  such 
exertion  this  hot  evening." 

Tokiyori  took  a  chair  near  his  compatriot  and  lit  a  cigarette, 
while  a  club  steward  served  the  two  with  an  iced  mint  julep. 

"I  received  your  note  only  at  the  last  moment,"  explained  Toki- 
yori. "I  am  glad  that  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  arrive  in  time." 

He  whiffed  luxuriously  at  the  fragrant  Russian  cigarette,  for 
he  was  an  exquisite  in  such  matters,  and  prepared  to  enjoy  his 
evening  with  Sakurai. 

Viscount  Sakurai  was  a  scholarly  man,  the  essence  of  refine- 
ment, added  to  which  he  possessed  a  very  wide  understanding  of 
the  world,  and  was  noted  as  a  raconteur.  His  estate  of  Niijima,  in 
Tokyo,  was  famed  for  its  artistic  beauty  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  and  was  pronounced  by  competent  judges  more  per- 
fect even  than  Moto,  on  Lake  Biwa.  Both  men  were  old  acquaint- 
ances, on  terms  of  some  intimacy  with  one  another,  and  although 
differing  at  times  politically,  were  thoroughly  en  rapport  on  the 
one  great  topic — dai  Nippon. 

Although  Sakurai  had  been  resident  for  the  past  three  years  at 


266  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Washington,  and  Tokiyori  absent  from  Japan  twice  that  length 
of  time,  they  had  not  met  abroad  heretofore.  Tokiyori  had  been 
traveling  in  England,  on  the  Continent  and  in  Russia,  varying  this 
program  with  occasional  short  trips  to  the  Western  States  and 
Canada.  Twice,  also,  he  had  been  to  China,  and  had  traversed 
part  of  the  Persian  route  to  India,  but  it  was  in  western  America 
and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  where  his  attentions  had  been  most 
intently  focused.  He  had  but  just  arrived  in  Washington  after  a 
year  of  study  on  shipping  conditions  and  an  observation  of  Taro 
Goto's  Japanese  colony  in  California.  His  invitation  to  dine  with 
Sakurai  had  followed  directly  on  the  announcement  of  his  pres- 
ence in  Washington. 

Their  cigarettes  finished,  they  adjourned  to  a  small,  seques- 
tered, palm-screened  table  in  the  club  dining-room.  Hitherto  they 
had  been  conversing  in  French,  but  with  the  advent  of  dinner,  in 
its  seclusion,  dropped  naturally  into  their  native  tongue. 

"I  am  expecting  my  transfer  to  St.  Petersburg  shortly,"  an- 
nounced Sakurai,  confidentially.  "I  was  in  hopes  of  a  recall  home, 
but  it  seems  that  is  ordained  otherwise.  Three  years'  absence  from 
one's  native  country  makes  one  long  ardently  for  the  chance  of 
return." 

"Yet,  you  have  been  home,"  reminded  Tokiyori. 

"Yes,"  answered  Sakurai,  "I  was  home  two  months  ago — still  it 
is  only  in  the  nature  of  a  flying  visit  that  one  can  leave  one's 
duties." 

"The  viscountess  enjoys  American  society,  does  she  not?"  quer- 
ied Tokiyori. 

"Oh,  thoroughly!"  laughed  Sakurai.  "Entre  nous,  my  friend,  I 
think  Americans  the  most  constant  source  of  entertainment  im- 
aginable. To  me  they  are  unique  as  a  race  of  glaring  inconsisten- 
cies and  contradictions.  They  decry  against  any  form  of  titular 
rank,  and  worship  the  holders  of  such ;  they  prate  of  the  equality 
of  man,  and  establish  among  them  a  dollarocracy  that  outbids  in 
selfish  power  the  most  absolute  despotism ;  the  most  progressive 
of  peoples,  they  are  the  most  obsolete;  wise,  and  simple  as  chil- 
dren ;  democratic,  and  boastful ;  warlike,  and  unmilitary ;  and, 
withal,  eaten  up  with  a  conceit  in  themselves,  and  utterly  failing 


THE  TAVERN  LIGHT  267 

to  note  the  things  that  grow  before  their  eyes.  Their  press  is  local 
rather  than  world  wide ;  their  teachings  to  their  children  in  their 
schools  insular,  narrow,  bigoted  and  prejudiced  in  the  extreme. 
They  call  their  country  a  republic,  themselves  republicans,  and 
are  positively  vulgar  in  their  display  of  personal  adornment  and 
wealth;  and,  while  deifying  their  system  of  government,  they 
never  lose  occasion  to  villify  its  incumbent  publicly.  It  would  not 
surprise  me  to  see  them  with  the  Monroe  document  in  one  hand, 
grasping  out  with  the  other  for  lands  in  which  they  have  neither 
right  nor  interest.  What  will  be  the  eventual  destiny  of  a  people  so 
great,  so  shortsighted,  so  purposeful,  so  unbalanced,  so  stead- 
fast, so  neurotic,  I  forbear  to  conjecture — probably  it  will  be  a 
destiny  of  superlative  inconsistencies.  In  the  meantime  they  are — 
to  me — absorbing  as  a  study  in  depth  and  shallowness." 

"By  shortsightedness,  I  presume  you  refer  to  their  neglect  of 
their  merchant  marine,  and  their  failure  to  establish  a  trade  con- 
trol in  South  America,"  rejoined  Tokiyori.  "That,  at  least,  will  be 
to  our  advantage,  possibly.  Some  day  the  traffic  of  the  world  will 
be  shifted  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  we  hope." 

"The  Lake  of  Japan,"  supplemented  Sakurai.  "The  Romans  are 
credited  with  a  saying  that  all  roads  lead  to  Rome" 

"But,  now,  it  must  be  in  peace,"  warned  Tokiyori. 
Sakurai  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"The  course  of  empire,  my  dear  Tokiyori,"  he  observed  dryly, 
"has  made  a  merry  jest  of  that  word." 

"The  course  of  empire  has  made  a  jest  of  many  things,"  re- 
joined Tokiyori — "of  great  nations,  and  even  of  its  very  self. 
History  has  taught  us,  Sakurai,  that  for  man  to  accomplish  any- 
thing he  must  become  its  tyrant.  Hitherto  war  has  been  our  hu- 
man tyranny ;  now  it  is  time  we  modernists  became  its  oppressor." 

"So  we  have,"  laughed  Sakurai.  "Most  distinctly  so,  I  should 
say.  War  is  now  no  longer  a  necessity  to  national  honor ;  it  is  the 
result  of  a  money  mechanism  to  which  we  apply  the  lever." 

"Why  apply  this  lever  to  war,  then?"  questioned  Tokiyori.  "If 
nothing  else  could  be  urged  against  it,  war  is  but  a  foolish  way  of 
attempting  to  strengthen  our  national  resources.  There  is  no  more 
expensive  speculation  a  nation  may  indulge  in  than  going  to  war. 


268  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

I  leave  the  question  of  morality  out  of  this  discussion  and  make 
my  appeal  merely  as  a  matter  of  common-sense  business  conduct 
to  any  nation." 

"That,"  answered  Sakurai,  "depends  upon  how  the  diplomats 
manage  to  conduct  the  sequence  of  a  war.  There  is  such  a  thing, 
my  dear  fellow,  as  indemnity  and  territory." 

"At  the  risk  of  what?"  rejoined  Tokiyori.  "And  are  the  intel- 
lects of  diplomatists  so  dulled  that  bloodshed  is  of  necessity  to 
sharpen  them  ?  Your  argument  would  place  diplomats  in  the  same 
category  as  is  the  magistrate,  who,  unable  to  convict  his  prisoner 
by  his  wits,  seeks  to  force  a  confession  of  his  guilt  from  him  with 
chains  and  staves." 

Sakurai  sipped  his  wine  reflectively. 

"There  is  another  phase  of  the  question  that  does  not  come  with- 
in your  condemnation,"  said  he,  at  length.  "I  refer  to  our  national 
esprit — Bushido.  There  is  a  morale  attached  to  war  that  tends  to 
hold  us  modern  men  up  to  a  higher  plane — it  inculcates  honor  and 
sacrifice.  Without  this  war-engendered  morale — our  Bushido — I 
fear,  my  friend,  that  we  should  soon  merge  into  cold,  selfish,  cal- 
culating money-making  machines." 

"I  deny  that,  too,"  smiled  Tokiyori.  "Bushido  is  distinctly  a  code 
of  individualism.  In  reality  it  is  our  most  deeply  inherent  religion. 
Its  manifestations  are  primarily  not  in  deeds  of  blood,  but  in  hon- 
or, love  and  the  highest  sense  of  duty.  Shorn  of  localism,  it  is  in 
essence  what  the  Christus  died  to  prove.  Wherein  is  there  any 
spirit  of  war  there?  Did  He  bid  His  disciples  go  forth  with  guns 
to  teach  the  heathen?  I  claim  that  our  Bushido  is  our  strongest 
factor  toward  peace,  and  that  it  is  imperishable  in  our  make-ups. 
As  to  your  material  argument  that  militarism,  and  its  factor,  hero- 
ism, are  the  essence  of  Bushido,  I  would  point  out  to  you  that  the 
fire  fighter,  or  the  city  policeman,  display  quite  as  much  heroic 
bravery  as  any  soldier." 

"My  dear  fellow,  you  are  an  altruist,"  observed  Sakurai. 

"As  to  the  cost  of  peace  today,"  continued  Tokiyori, "how  few  of 
the  workers  of  the  world  have  any  conception  of  the  amount  of 
universal  energy  that  is  absorbed  in  the  effort  to  maintain  it.  Even 
here  in  this  great  country  of  the  United  States  nearly  eighty  per 


THE  TAVERN   LIGHT  269 

cent  of  its  national  energy  and  resources  is  given  over  to  protect- 
ing its  national  rights." 

"Which  otherwise  might  have  been  turned  to  furthering  the  bet- 
terment of  its  people,"  asserted  Sakurai. 

"Universal  peace,"  continued  Tokiyori,  fervently,  "is  bound  to 
come.  The  world  is  crying  for  it.  Christ,  Buddha,  Confucius  did 
not  live  in  vain.  The  only  real  jeopardy  now  towards  its  early  ful- 
filment is  the  sensation-loving  jingoism  of  the  foreign  press,  es- 
pecially the  American." 
Sakurai  chuckled. 

"My  dear  fellow,"  said  he,  "the  American  press  is  a  peculiar  in- 
stitution. Its  maw  is  ever  distended.  This  renders  it  of  great  aid 
toward  what  we  may  desire.  It  is  but  necessary  to  whisper  the 
contrary  to  the  truth  into  its  huge,  yellow  ear,  and  in  its  voracity 
for  news  it  will  print  the  most  misleading  articles  for  public  con- 
sumption in  type  decipherable  by  a  blind  man.  Where  would  Jap- 
an's plans  of  empire  be  were  it  not  for  the  unconscious  aid  ren- 
dered them  by  this  same,  all-knowing  American  press !" 

"A  unity  of  nations,"  repeated  Tokiyori,  "is  bound  to  come  even- 
tually, and  the  successes  of  nations  will  rest  with  their  diplomats. 
Therefore  it  behooves  us  to  accomplish  two  great  things  in  these 
years  of  preparation,  Sakurai — to  bend  our  highest  faculties  to- 
ward international  diplomacy,  and  to  speedily  establish  a  trade 
supremacy." 

"Which  latter,"  supplemented  Sakurai,  dryly,  "has  as  the  first 
of  its  requirements  an  established  national  credit.  The  methods  of 
our  merchants,  my  dear  Tokiyori,  are  not  of  such  high  caliber,  I 
regret  to  say,  as  to  induce  a  feeling  of  credit  security  in  the  hearts 
of  the  Occidentals." 

"That  is  deplorably  true,"  agreed  Tokiyori.  "Our  early  schooling 
in  business  matters  at  the  hands  of  'Foreigners'  was  so  deplorably 
lacking  in  principles  of  uprightness  and  honor  that  our  whole 
business  ethics  are  corrupt.  We  must  go  to  school  again — with 
teachers  of  higher  integrity  than  our  early  'Foreign'  preceptors, 
and  learn  that  business  honor  is  our  first  asset  toward  trade  su- 
premacy." 

Sakurai  smiled  noncommitally,  and  Tokiyori  reverted  again  to 


270  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

the  topic  of  America.  "The  greatest  danger  I  see  for  America  and 
possibly  other  nations,"  he  said,  "is  a  civil  war  of  labor  against 
capital.  For  labor,  capital  and  advanced  thoughts — both  good  and 
evil — are  fast  forming  into  classes,  the  various  classes  tending  to 
become  universal  rather  than  national.  In  the  course  of  evolution 
the  individual  man  has  progressed  beyond  the  days  when  he  main- 
tained his  rights  and  redressed  his  wrongs  by  the  sword — the  days 
when  might  made  right;  the  days  when  judicial  laws  were  un- 
known. History  still  repeats  itself  in  the  life  of  nations — for 
might  still  makes  right  in  national  disputes — yet,  in  time,  will  not 
the  people  of  the  nations  progress  intellectually  until  they  reverse 
the  past  order  of  history  and  world  conditions,  which  has  always, 
even  as  today,  found  the  great  majority  of  the  populace  incapable 
of  thinking  individually  and  therefore  subject  to  control  and  di- 
rection of  the  intellectual  minority.  With  higher  education,  lead- 
ing to  a  better  philosophic  development,  the  mentally  free  must 
eventually  attain  to  a  majority ;  then  will  the  nations  evolute  to  the 
degree  of  casting  away  their  swords  and  settle  their  differences  in 
a  great  hall  of  justice,  subject  to  universal  laws,  to  be  expounded 
by  diplomats,  and  by  which  nations  shall  be  governed." 

"Then  you  would  make  us  each  and  all  subjects  of  the  world, 
with  our  citizen  rights  secondary  to  our  world  rights,"  remarked 
Sakurai. 

"Though  joined  together  as  equal  citizens  of  the  world,"  Toki- 
yori  replied,  "yet  the  nation  which  produces  the  most  intellectual 
and  brilliant  minds  will  naturally  influence  those  of  lesser  mental- 
ity ;  and  America,  to  the  outside  world,  is  seemingly  forging  ahead 
at  a  rapid  pace  and  is  likely  to  be  recognized  as  authority  on  many 
questions  of  advanced  ideas  pertaining  to  world  rights ;  neverthe- 
less there  is  this  to  be  remembered  of  the  American  people  in  every 
judgment  upon  them,  they  are  yet  children  in  age,  and  history 
fails  to  show  any  such  wonderful  empire  building  within  the  equal 
of  what  has  been  their  national  lifetime  as  America  has  achieved. 
It  is  marvelous,  when  you  come  to  consider  it,  Sakurai." 

"True  as  that  is,"  replied  the  ambassador,  "it  does  not  alter  my 
conviction  of  their  shortsightedness  as  a  nation.  Take  the  vital 
question  of  unlimited  control  by  the  trusts  which  is  going  on  here 


THE  TAVERN  LIGHT 

:,  not  less  important,  the  misuse  to  which  they  put  life  insur- 
ance. Neither  are  aught  but  individual  sources  of  profit.  I  can  not 
conceive  how  any  individual  should  be  permitted  to  profit  thus 
from  sources  vital  to  a  nation's  ownership.  I,  myself,  Tokiyori, 
have  no  faith  in  the  equality  of  man — the  gods  manifestly  have  not 
cast  us  in  the  same  mold,  nor  in  an  equal  individual  right  to  own- 
ership— we  should  be  simply  kine  of  the  fields  in  such  a  calami- 
tous case.  But  I  do  believe  in  the  oneness  of  a  nation — the  cooper- 
ation of  all  its  people  with,  and  for,  it." 

"I  agree  with  you  on  that  point,"  said  Tokiyori,  quickly.  "A  na- 
tion should  be  entirely  cooperative  within  itself — must  be  to  at- 
tain the  fulfilment  of  its  progression.  You  call  me  an  altruist,  Sa- 
kurai — I  plead  guilty  to  the  impeachment.  But  am  I  so  imprac- 
tical? A  nation  is  a  family  merely — many  families,  if  you  prefer, 
making  a  great  one.  As  such  we  must  of  necessity  have  sponsors 
— guardians — governing  fathers.  Unless  they  are  to  be  mere  polit- 
ical egoists  we  must  conceive  that  such  shall  be  as  real  fathers — 
imbued  with  every  conception  of  both  paternal  and  filial  love — as 
the  individual  father  of  a  family.  Their  position  then  is  both  that 
of  father  to  the  nation,  and  son  of  the  nation ;  and  the  nation  must 
so  regard  them  collectively  and  individually.  Thus  we  may  say 
that  a  nation  is  its  own  father,  and  its  own  son.  Its  masses  are  the 
working  bees  of  the  nation,  to  whom  the  cry  we  want  work — now 
so  often  heard — should  be  unknown ;  rather  the  nation's  parental 
command  should  be  you  must  work,  for  every  man  physically 
capable  should  be  forced  to  work,  and  working  jails  should  be  es- 
tablished for  the  drones  and  non-workers  unwilling  to  support 
themselves.  What  would  you  think  of  the  parents  who  would  so 
bring  up  their  family  as  to  permit  any  one  or  more  of  their  chil- 
dren to  live  upon  the  charity  of  their  neighbors  ?  What  would  we 
think  of  the  parents  so  inhuman  as  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  and  decline 
to  give  food  and  shelter  to  one  or  more  of  their  children,  who,  un- 
able to  secure  lucrative  employment,  were  willing  and  anxious  to 
aid  in  the  household  chores?  What  would  we  think  of  the  more 
successful  brothers  and  sisters  who  would  stand  calmly  by  and 
bear  with  such  parents  ?" 

"That  they  were  oni  and  not  human,"  asserted  Sakurai,  impress- 


272  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

ively,  "for  the  first  thought  of  the  loving  parent  is  always  for  the 
weaker  child;  yet,  how  may  your  parents  find  work  for,  and  the 
means  to  support,  these  unemployed  children?" 

"Well  asked,  and  for  answer  I  would  say,"  exclaimed  Tokiyori, 
"let  the  family  estate  be  improved  under  the  parents'  direction,  by 
means  drawn  from  the  estate's  income,  supplemented  if  necessary 
by  demands  upon  the  more  fortunate  sons  and  brothers ;  in  other 
words,  a  nation  should  create  an  adequate  reserve  fund  that  would 
justify  the  planning  for  great  national  improvements  capable  of 
consuming  the  surplus  energy  of  its  subjects,  a  fund  so  great  that 
under  normal  conditions  there  should  be  left  a  heavy  balance  to 
be  drawn  against  for  greater  undertakings  during  periods  of  in- 
dustrial depression." 

"I  grant  you  the  wisdom  of  your  argument,  my  dear  Tokiyori," 
said  Sakurai,  "but  I  fear  that  any  national  effort  made  by  this 
nation — likewise  many  of  the  European — to  protect  and  assist  its 
laboring  class,  will  find  its  greatest  stumbling  block  in  its  labor  or- 
ganizations, which  selfishly  guard  and  cherish  but  the  ones  within 
its  fold,  and  who  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  all  without  its  pale,  forgetting 
that  they  are  all  brothers,  born  with  equal  God-given  rights  to  for- 
age for  food." 

"To  be  overcome,"  replied  Tokiyori,  "by  the  nations  owning  and 
directing  all  national  necessities — industrial  and  otherwise — and 
recognizing  solely  the  right  of  citizenship !" 

"That  would  settle  the  question  of  aliens,"  smilingly  exclaimed 
Sakurai,  "and  give  the  citizen  the  advantage." 

"I  truly  believe  that  every  advantage — that  pertains  to  livelihood 
— should  be  given  to  the  citizen,"  continued  Tokiyori,  "and  that 
the  alien  should  be  dependent  solely  upon  his  own  individual  re- 
sources, and  I  further  conceive,  that  when  a  citizen — a  'bread- 
winner' so  called — has  reached,  let  us  say  the  age  of  sixty  years, 
presupposing  that  during  forty  years  of  that  time  he  has  been  a 
working  bee  in  the  hive,  is  it  not  in  reason  that  he  must  necessar- 
ily— in  his  struggle  for  self  maintenance — have  in  some  degree 
aided  his  family,  his  nation?  Why  then  should  such  a  person  not 
be  entitled,  during  his  few  remaining  years,  to  sufficient  aid  and 

care  by  those  whom  he  has  so  assisted  as  to  insure  his  existence?" 


THE  TAVERN   LIGHT  273 

"That  might  be  achieved  by  a  system  of  life  insurance,"  suggest- 
ed Sakurai,  "in  which  the  individual  is  taxed  according  to  his 
earning  capacity,  the  sum  so  collected  to  be  used  for  his  benefit  as 
an  annuity  after  attaining  the  age  limit." 

"With  universal  peace  attained,"  replied  Tokiyori,  "such  a  sys- 
tem might  be  put  in  motion.  If  we  can  minimize  the  national  drain 
for  militarism  by  merely  subscribing  for  our  share  to  a  universal 
military  power,  and  increase  our  national  resources  so  that  the  in- 
dividual taxation  may  be  reduced  to  a  mere  income  tax,  which  tax, 
or  a  portion  of  it,  shall  be  applied  to  an  annuity  fund,  which  at  an 
age  limit  shall  entitle  the  assessed  to  a  continuance  of  his  previous 
average  earning  income  during  his  remaining  years,  we  will  have 
solved  the  question  of  nationality.  The  only  objection  to  your  plan 
I  at  present  see  is  that,  unfortunately,  life  insurance,  as  known  to- 
day, is  a  private  corporation  benefit — neither  a  national  resource, 
nor  a  profitable  venture  for  the  people." 

Sakurai  leaned  across  the  table  to  his  guest.  The  subject  of  life 
insurance — not  then  introduced  into  Japan  as  a  national  factor — 
was  a  hobby  of  his,  and  (profiting  by  its  abuses  in  the  Occident, 
as  he  saw  them)  he  had  dreams  of  his  own  for  making  life  insur- 
ance a  national,  rather  than  an  individual,  factor. 

"Life  insurance/'  he  observed,  impressively,  "should  be  a  protec- 
tive measure  for  the  people,  to  be  handled  by  the  government  for 
the  mutual  benefit  of  both,  if  its  true  definition  is  to  be  realized. 
Thus  the  people  would  be  wholly  protected,  and  the  government 
in  control  of  that  which,  in  case  of  national  danger,  could  readily 
be  converted  into  national  use.  And  as  for  the  trusts,  well,  when  a 
handful  of  men  are  permitted  to  control  a  nation,  financially  and 
administratively,  there  is  an  end  to  true  nationality.  Of  one  thing 
I  am  certain,  no  system  of  trusts  should  ever  be  allowed  to  arise 
in  Japan  and  subvert  the  necessities  of  life.  Such  control — if  any 
— should  vest  in  our  government.  We  have  too  good  an  example 
of  the  trust  evil  here  not  to  profit  by  it !" 

"I  go  still  further,"  said  Tokiyori.  "I  say  that  a  nation  should  ab- 
solutely control  every  public  utility  and  luxury  for  the  good  of  all. 
You  may  call  this  socialism,  Sakurai,  or  what  you  please,  but  I 
contend  that  it  is  the  true  definition  of  the  word  'Nation'." 


274  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

'They  have  a  very  amusing  piece  of  advice  in  England,"  inter- 
rupted Sakurai,  "that  I  think  answers  your  contention — 'how  to 
cook  a  hare,  first  catch  your  hare.'  Seriously,  I  think  as  you  on  this 
subject,  Tokiyori,  but  before  such  a  national  ownership  will  be 
possible  the  people  of  the  nation  must  be  schooled — not  a  difficult 
matter  in  our  case — to  a  degree  of  national  pride  in  such  govern- 
mental projects,  believing  and  knowing  that  by  such  national  con- 
trol an  honest  government  may  increase  its  resources  and  thereby 
relieve  the  masses  of  excessive  taxation.  It  seems  to  me,  Tokiyori, 
that  such  a  step  would  be  a  great  factor  also  in  political  purity, 
for  it  would  make  it  incumbent  upon  the  people  to  return  an  hon- 
est government." 

He  laughed  lightly  at  the  latter  part  of  his  speech,  but  Tokiyori 
knew  full  well  the  depth  of  feeling  and  national  reverence  that 
underlay  Sakurai's  lightness  of  manner  and  satirical  method  of 
speaking. 

"My  dear  Sakurai,"  he  smiled,  "you  are  the  most  respecting  and 
respectable  diplomat  that  I  know." 

Sakurai  threw  up  his  hands  in  mock  horror. 

"Respectable !"  he  cried.  "Gods  of  my  fathers !  Call  me  not  that, 
my  friend.  Respectability  is  a  charnal  house  of  those  human  traits 
that  time  has  transformed  into  modern  hypocricies.  Call  me, 
rather,  if  you  choose,  an  ambassadorial  epigram — but  respectable? 
I'd  rather  be  an  epitaph,  or  an  epileptic !" 

"It  must  have  been  a  relief  to  you  to  visit  Japan  again  and  rest 
yourself  in  its  simple  serenity  after  such  a  trying  educational 
course  as  you  seem  to  have  undergone  here,"  laughed  Tokiyori. 
"Is  the  viscountess  with  you  now  ?" 

"She  remained  in  Tokyo,"  answered  Sakurai,  as  he  gravely  con- 
sidered the  relative  merits  of  Mumm  and  Roederer.  "She  will  be 
enjoying  the  lotus  now.  I  do  not  expect  her  return  till  the  wistaria 
falls." 

He  hesitated — for  all  his  world  was  aware  of  Tokiyori's  sep- 
aration from  Kiku-ko — then,  sipping  his  wine,  finally  ventured — 

"The  Countess  Kiku-ko  is  in  excellent  health,  I  trust  ?" 

"According  to  a  recent  letter,"  assured  Tokiyori,  without  a  trace 
of  embarrassment.  "My  daughter,  Aysia,  who  has  been  studying 


THE  TAVERN   LIGHT  275 

at  Bryn  Mawr  for  the  past  year,  is  now  with  her  in  the  interim  of 
proceeding  to  France  for  her  finishing  course.  As  you  were  in 
Tokyo  so  recently,  can  you  not  enlighten  me  as  to  old  friends 
there?" 

"I  fear  that  most  of  my  news  will  be  stale  to  you  by  now,"  re- 
sponded Sakurai.  "I  called  upon  the  marquis,  your  father,  of 
course,  and  found  him  in  wonderfully  good  health,  although  anx- 
ious concerning  your  probable  return.  He  preserves  the  full  use 
of  all  his  faculties  most  marvelously.  The  countess,  your  wife, 
was  absent  at  Biwa-ko  at  the  time,  so  I  was  not  favored  with 
sight  of  her.  At  a  dinner  one  evening  I  found  myself  seated  be- 
tween two  old  acquaintances — Nui-ko  san  and  Toyo-ko  san — 
whom  I  had  not  seen  for  years,  Goto's  famous  'double  fusima/ 
you  know.  They  were  quite  as  beautifully  painted  as  ever.  Which 
reminds  me  that  I  dined  also  with  the  baron  at  Ayame.  Sake  and 
eels  comprised  the  main  effort  of  his  chef.  He  took  me  into  his 
library  after  dinner,  and  solemnly  read  to  me  from  a  bulky  manu- 
script, a  work  on  Nipponese  proverbs.  Since  his  retirement  from 
active  army  life  he  has  ample  leisure  for  the  compiling  of  these. 
I  fancy  that  in  some  intermediate  state — necessary,  I  believe,  to 
all  departed  souls — Goto  will  pass  his  time  in  reading  his  prov- 
erbs to  the  other  dwellers  of  the  Meido-Land." 

"The  baron  was  in  good  health?"  asked  Tokiyori,  who  longed 
most  to  hear  of  Ren-ko,  and  yet  dared  not  question  Sakurai  re- 
garding her.  He  had  heard  of  her,  indirectly,  several  times,  but  the 
question  that  was  always  nearest  his  heart  was  never  permitted  to 
rise  to  his  lips.  His  farewell  with  Ren-ko  had  been  complete  and 
entire — a  "thought  life"  was  the  only  intercourse  open  to  them. 
Because  of  this  he  dared  not  return  to  Japan;  because  of  it  he 
thought  all  the  more  of  her  with  each  waking  hour. 

Sakurai  sensed  something  of  what  was  passing  in  his  guest's 
mind,  and  determined  suddenly  to  relieve  it.  He  knew  somewhat 
of  the  attributed  cause  to  Tokiyori's  differences  with  Kiku-ko,  but 
with  this  opportunity  he  felt  he  might  safely  venture  on  the  out- 
skirts of  unsound  ground.  Moreover,  curiosity  compelled  him  to 
the  hazard. 

"Goto  is  in  excellent  health,"  he  replied.  "Stouter,  I  should  say, 


276  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

than  ever.  I  passed  a  most  agreeable  evening  with  him  and  his 
daughter,  Lady  Ren-ko.  What  a  lovely  woman  she  is,  Tokiyori, 
and  as  perfect  in  intellect  as  she  is  in  beauty.  She  spoke  but  sel- 
dom, but  when  she  did  her  words  were  to  me  as  trumpet  calls  to  a 
soldier.  I  recall  the  conversation  had  turned  on  the  subject  of 
Taro  Goto's  successes  with  his  emigration  enterprise.  Taro,  be- 
tween ourselves,  is,  I  understand,  greatly  in  love  with  Lady  Ren- 
ko,  although  his  sighings  for  her  have,  apparently,  failed  of  an 
impression." 

"As  I  say,"  he  continued,  "Lady  Ren-ko  and  I  were  speaking  of 
Taro  and  his  emigration  concerns.  'It  is  the  brightness  of  the  can- 
dle that  fortells  darkness,'  said  Lady  Ren-ko  to  me  in  a  low  voice 
— the  baron  being  occupied  in  conversation  with  my  wife — 'the  se- 
ductive calm  that  foreruns  the  typhoon.'  'Why  do  you  call  Taro's 
enterprise  that?'  I  asked,  amusedly,  although  I  confess  I  was  in- 
terested also.  'Because  it  so  exactly  typifies  both,'  she  answered, 
without  hesitation.  'He  is  today  unloading  hundreds  upon  hun- 
dreds of  our  supposed  laboring  class  upon  an  alien  country,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  they  can,  and  will,  labor  more  cheaply  than 
foreign  workmen.  As  yet  the  'Foreigner'  appears  not  to  have 
awakened  to  what  this  means,  but  how  will  they  regard  us  when 
they  feel  that  our  people  are  taking  the  food  from  their  mouths, 
and  gaining  knowledge  not  to  be  used  for  the  country  that  is  feed- 
ing, teaching  and  supporting  them,  but  for  us?  Can  you  see  other 
in  the  eventual  outcome  than  perilous  race  hatred,  and  probable 
war?'" 

Lord  Sakurai  lowered  his  voice,  and  leaned  across  the  table  to- 
ward Tokiyori,  impressively. 

"I  confess,  Tokiyori,"  said  he,  "that  I  had  never  viewed  this 
matter  in  that  light  before,  but,  from  what  she  said,  I  had  my  in- 
terest awakened  to  the  extent  of  looking  into  it  more  closely.  I 
am  convinced  that  America  is  on  the  verge  of  a  great  social  revo- 
lution, although  what  form — violent  or  diplomatic — it  will  take,  I 
am  unable  to  conjecture.  Everywhere  labor  in  America  is  sullen 
and  disgruntled  with  capital,  and  it  needs  but  very  little  to  in- 
flame the  whole  mass  of  the  nation's  workers  into  one  seething, 
angry,  dangerous  mob.  Capital  sees  this  also,  and  will  use  the 


THE  TAVERN   LIGHT  277 

Japanese  cheap  laborers  as  a  pretext  for  turning  aside,  for  the 
time,  the  wrath  of  the  masses.  Thus  we  shall  be  the  sufferers — the 
scape-goats.  Sooner  or  later,  if  Taro  Goto's  business — and  that  of 
similar  concerns  that  have  started  up  recently — are  not  curtailed, 
we  shall  have  an  exclusion  act  in  force  against  our  people  here — 
or  war." 

Tokiyori  had  been  listening  intently  to  the  first  part  of  Saku- 
rai's  narrative  of  his  dinner  at  Goto's,  and  although  his  host's  per- 
oration had  not  escaped  him,  had  been  turning  over  and  over  in 
his  mind  a  picture  of  Ren-ko  as  he  had  last  seen  her,  in  the  snow 
at  Ayame,  and  as  she  must  have  looked  when  talking  with  Saku- 
rai. 

"When  did  you  say  that  you  heard  this  prophecy  from  the  lips 
of — of  Goto's  daughter?"  he  asked. 

"About  three  months  ago,"  answered  Sakurai,  slightly  surprised. 
"Yes,  I  recall  it  was  on  my  wife's  birthday,  which  is  on  the  fif- 
teenth day  of  the  Iris  month.  Why,  my  dear  fellow?" 

Tokiyori  collected  himself. 

"Merely  that  I  was  wondering  why  no  such  views  had  been 
brought  before  the  Diet?"  he  rejoined. 

"There  is  a  report  now  to  that  effect — made  under  my  super- 
vision— to  the  Diet,"  explained  Sakurai.  "What  action  they  may 
decide  to  take  upon  it  you  can  conjecture  as  well  as  I- — I  fear 
none,  at  the  present.  But  I  see  that  our  dinner  is  a  thing  of  the 
past ;  shall  we  not  adjourn  for  coffee  and  a  cigar?" 

Tokiyori  arose  with  his  host. 

"I  think  not,  if  you  will  excuse  me,"  said  he.  "I  have  another  en- 
gagement this  evening  that  I  dare  not  neglect.  I  shall  hope  to  see 
you  at  the  embassy  tomorrow." 

They  bade  one  another  goodnight  and  separated,  Sakurai  to- 
ward the  club's  smoking  room,  and  Tokiyori  toward  its  entrance. 
Under  the  portals  he  paused,  then  descending  the  brown-stone 
steps,  turned  into  Connecticut  Avenue,  crossing  a  nearby  square 
on  his  way  to  his  hotel. 

Arrived  there,  he  sought  his  rooms  at  once,  dismissing  his  man 
who  awaited  him.  Then,  drawing  a  chair  up  to  an  open  bay  win- 
dow, he  sat  gazing  out  across  the  lamp-lit  streets  of  the  silent,  al- 
most deserted  city. 


278  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Presently  he  arose,  and  crossing  to  an  escretoire,  drew  from  it 
a  dispatch  case.  Opening  this,  he  extracted  one  of  several  red 
morocco  leathered  diaries.  He  turned  back  its  leaves  until  he  came 
to  an  entry,  and  read : 

JUNE  I5TH:  i  HAVE  COME  TO  SEE  THAT  MY  FORMER  BELIEF  IN 
THE  ULTIMATE  VALUE  TO  US  OF  LABOR  EMIGRATION  WAS  ERRONE- 
OUS. OUR  PEOPLE  ARE  LITERALLY  INUNDATING  THE  PACIFIC  SLOPE 
STATES,  CUTTING  PRICES  UNDER  NATIVE  WORKMEN  TO  GAIN  EMPLOY- 
MENT. THE  MINDS  OF  THE  MASSES  OF  THE  COUNTRY  ARE  ALREADY 
INFLAMED  AGAINST  CAPITAL,  AND  CAPITAL,  SEEING  THE  OPPORTUNITY 
WE  AFFORD  THEM  FOR  TURNING  ASIDE  THE  WRATH  OF  LABOR,  WILL 
UNDOUBTEDLY  SEIZE  ON  SUCH  A  PRETEXT.  IT  WILL  BE  REPRESENTED 
TO  THE  AMERICAN  WORKINGMAN  THAT  NOT  CAPITAL,  BUT  CHEAP 

ORIENTAL  LABOR,  IS  TAKING  THE  FOOD  OUT  OF  HIS  MOUTH AND 

NOT  BY  THE  EXERCISE  OF  GREATER  SKILL,  BUT  BY  THE  ABILITY  TO 
LIVE  FOR  LESS  THAN  THE  OCCIDENTAL  POSSIBLY  CAN.  THE  OUTCOME 

IS  A  FOREGONE  CONCLUSION.  A  FEW  GRAINS  OF  SUCH  POWDER 

PRESSURE  BROUGHT  TO  BEAR  ON  GOVERNMENTAL  LEGISLATURE  AND 

THE  PRESIDENT AND,  WHIFF !  AN  ULTIMATUM  TO  NIPPON,  AND 

WAR! 

He  replaced  the  diary,  locked  and  replaced  the  dispatch  box 
and  locked  the  escretoire. 

He  recrossed  the  room  and  gazed  out  across  the  silent  street 
once  more.  Suddenly  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  city  faded  into  a 
nothingness,  and  that  a  drawn  veil  was  lifted  from  his  eyes.  In 
all  the  vast  universe  that  stretched  before  him  there  seemed  but 
two  people — Ren-ko  and  himself ;  she  flashing  thought  upon 
thought  to  him,  he  recording  these  and  acting  upon  them.  At 
Ayame  she  had  told  Sakurai  that  which,  on  that  self  same  day,  he 
had  written  in  his  diary.  He  seemed  to  realize  suddenly  that  she 
was  living  his  life  for  him — in  thought — in  how  many  different 
governing  thoughts  he  could  only  conjecture.  Altruist,  dreamer, 
man  of  intellect  as  he  was,  his  mind  suddenly  descended  to  the 
practical  in  a  way  that  would  have  amused  Sakurai,  and  he  deter- 
mined— impelled  by  his  inherent  human  weaknesses — that  that 
which  belonged  to  her  spiritually  should  be  hers  actually  as  well. 


THE  TAVERN   LIGHT  279 

"I  am  now  in  my  forty-fourth  year,"  he  mused,  "and,  saving  for 
an  all-short  boyhood,  I  think  I  have  never  known  a  real  happiness 
but  once.  Long  before  attaining  my  majority,  cares  and  respon- 
sibilities seldom  expected  of  matured  men  were  laid  upon  my 
shoulders ;  since  then  I  have  never  known,  I  think,  an  hour's  re- 
spite from  care,  responsibility  and  sorrow.  I  have  toiled  but  to  see 
my  successes  accredited  to  others,  my  apparent  failures — and  the 
failures  of  others — stamped  indelibly  against  my  own  record. 
Whether  my  father,  or  the  Diet,  the  results  for  me  have  always 
been  the  same — toil,  work  and  conception  on  my  part;  success 
and  popular  recognition  and  acclaim  for  them.  Then  came  a  dark 
night  when  Nippon's  danger  stood  close  by  her  elbow,  when  the 
Nightless  Street  whispered  secrets  that  the  winds  never  bore  past 
the  O-mon  of  the  Flower  Quarter,  so  that  only  by  lying,  treachery 
and  fraud  might  Nippon  be  saved.  A  woman's  heart  was  at  stake 
— to  be  won  by  deeds  so  foul  that  none  could  be  expected  to  per- 
form them — saving  one,  I.  And  then  it  was  I  found,  amidst  all  the 
filth  and  mire,  the  only  joy  my  life  was  permitted  to  know — a  lo- 
tus grew  from  the  mud;  I  plucked  it.  In  the  garden  of  life  the 
gods  have  planted  for  each  of  us  his  flower,  to  take  or  leave — the 
lotus  grew  for  me." 

Suddenly  some  words — his  own — returned  to  him,  words  spok- 
en over  pure,  white  snow  that  covered  the  walks  of  a  villa — the 
villa  of  Ayame : 

— it  may  be  that  the  gods,  because  of  so  great  an  interpretation 
of  their  own  loves,  will  grant  that  we  commingle  in  thought — 

It  had  been  granted. 

"Thought  is  but  the  better  life  after  all,"  he  said  aloud;  "the 
flowerings  of  the  garden  of  life.  Chrysanthemum  or  lotus,  one  cul- 
tured guardedly  in  rich  soil,  the  other  wild-flowering  in  foul  mud, 
yet  emblem  of  all  purity.  Each  perfect  in  its  place  in  the  garden, 
but  it  is  the  call  of  the  lotus,  in  the  rustling  of  its  leaves,  that  the 
gardener,  in  the  hours  of  darkness,  hears." 

He  picked  up  some  time-tables  that  lay  on  the  desk  top,  and  con- 
sulted them,  then  rang  for  his  servant. 

"Pack  my  things,"  he  ordered.  "We  leave  for  San  Francisco  on 
the  midnight  express." 


28O  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"To  remain  there,  sir?"  queried  the  servant  with  the  respectful 
familiarity  of  the  valet. 

"No ;  till  this  day  week  when  the  steamer  leaves  for  Japan,"  re- 
plied Tokiyori. 


XXV 

NAKED,,  UPONTHEAIR 


Why,  if  the  Soul  can  fling  the  Dust  aside, 
And  naked  on  the  Air  of  Heaven  ride, 

Were't  not  a  Shame — were't  not  a  Shame  for  him 
In  this  clay  carcase  crippled  to  abide?—  OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

SEPTEMBER  came  to  refresh  Japan,  touching  the  veins  of  the 
Mukojima  foliage  with  cool  caressing  fingers,  damp  with  Au- 
tumnal rain,  while  the  dark  Sumida  awoke  from  its  summer  sleep, 
slipping  along  among  the  bordering  cherry  trees,  like  a  sluggish 
serpent. 


282  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Early  afternoon  had  waned,  and  with  it  the  gentle  showers  had 
ceased,  so  that  the  grounds  of  Ayame  lay  glistening  like  a  blaze  of 
jewels  where  a  golden  sun  lingered  on  the  raindrops.  A  lane  of 
burnt  umber  tints  ran  mingling  with  a  thousand  variant  greens  on 
this  palette  of  nature,  untouched  here  by  the  scalpel  of  man,  and 
the  scent  of  mokusei  was  damp  and  sweet  as  the  breathing  of  a 
little  child — a  little  lisping  child  with  the  bloom  still  fresh  upon  it. 

Within  his  yashiki  Goto  snoozed  peacefully,  a  confused  mass  of 
writing  on  a  table  before  him.  Recently,  as  related  to  Tokiyori  by 
Viscount  Sakurai,  Goto  had  begun  the  elaboration  of  an  intended 
stupendous  volume  of  native  proverbs — a  prodigious  work  that 
seemingly  grew  the  further  from  completion  the  more  its  author 
labored  at  it.  Every  now  and  then  the  baron  would  solemnly  an- 
nounce to  his  intimates  that  shortly  the  publication  of  his  magnus 
opus  would  occur,  hinting  darkly  that  certain  selected  sayings  of 
the  Flower  Quarter — personally  and  laboriously  collected — would 
astound  the  world.  However,  the  work  still  remained  in  manu- 
script form,  and  if  its  appearance  was  a  matter  of  conjecture,  it 
had  the  present  value  of  serving  to  occupy  pleasingly  the  baron's 
time  and  thoughts. 

Without,  Ren-ko  was  loitering  about  the  lane.  A  restlessness 
had  unaccountably  come  to  her  that  day,  presaging  events — events 
feared,  she  knew  not  why,  and  yet  longed  for.  Her  thoughts,  ever 
of  one  across  the  great  seas,  were  now  tinged  with  a  flush  of  guilt. 
She  had  transmitted  mentally  to  him  things  that  she  knew  to  be  of 
the  utmost  importance — whether  such  had  been  received  she  knew 
not,  only  hoped.  A  month  ago  she  had  sent  him  another  thought, 
impelled  by  the  aching  void  in  her  heart,  against  her  knowledge  of 
what  was  right.  Had  he  received  that?  Would  he  answer? 

She  turned  about,  as  though  under  the  urgence  of  some  unseen 
hand,  and  saw  a  stranger  upon  the  walk.  He  was  standing  mo- 
tionless, wrapt  in  contemplation  of  her.  His  head  was  bared  so 
that  she  noted  his  hair  was  heavily  tinged  with  grey ;  his  features 
those  of  a  man  at  once  sad,  and  happy  in  his  sadness.  As  he  started 
to  approach  her,  it  needed  not  the  slight  limp  observable  in  his 
walk  to  tell  her  who  he  was. 

"Take  san !"  she  sobbed  softly,  her  joy  welling  up  in  voice  and 
eyes ;  "Take  san !" 


NAKED,   UPON  THE  AIR  283 

He  came  swiftly  to  her,  his  arms  outstretched.  So  perfect  an 
understanding,  psychic  in  its  divination,  existed  between  them, 
there  was  no  need  for  formality  of  social  garb. 
"You  knew  me?"  he  asked,  his  cup  of  happiness  full. 
"Would  a  poet  need  eyes  to  see  the  visions  of  which  he  writes?" 
she  answered,  using  the  very  words  he  had  once  spoken  to  her  in 
The  Jewel  River.  "The  afternoon  is  perfect  because  of  you,  and 
the  shadows  are  holding  back  from  their  lengthening  that  I  may 
see  you." 

He  led  her  to  a  seat  beneath  a  hanging  willow — that  same  spot 
where,  when  last  they  had  been  together,  he  had  told  her  that 
their  life  must,  in  future,  be  in  their  thoughts  alone. 
"The  shadows  of  the  afternoon  are  short  yet,"  said  he,  "but  be- 
fore long  they  will  have  lengthened  into  the  chill  of  night.  It  is 
the  kindly  veil  dusk  draws  over  the  knees  of  day,  bent  o'er  the 
sacrificial  altar.  I  have  come  to  feel,  Ren-ko  san,  that  so  little  of 
this  life  is  guessed — how  may  we  hope  to  know  the  after!  A 
thought — a  breath — and  the  careless  sleeve  of  night  and  morn  has 
brushed  us  from  the  pathway !  Only  a  narrow  thought  strip  sep- 
arates you  and  I  from  the  Island  of  Life — yet  it  is  wider  than  the 
cycles — naught  but  the  bridge  of  love  alone  may  span  it  and  the 
guide-rope  is  in  your  hands.  There  are  lands  where  the  sun  never 
sets — where  neither  gods,  nor  fiends,  may  yea  or  nay  the  day — 
where  wild  doves  throat  their  loves  at  will.  It  is  these  I  shall  seek, 
Flower  Heart,  for  it  has  come  to  me  that  I  may  no  longer  waste 
the  gift  of  love  the  gods  laid  in  my  cradle.  So,  after  the  lapse  of 
years,  have  I  come  from  the  long  shadows  to  journey  into  the 
sunlight  with  you." 

She  regarded  him  with  rapture  too  great  for  words,  her  ex- 
pression one  of  triumphant  happiness.  Suddenly,  this  changed 
into  one  of  consternation  and  horror.  This  love,  as  he  had  told 
her,  was  lent,  not  sent,  and  now  he  had  placed  the  guide-rope  in 
her  hands. 

"A  journey?"  said  she.  "Nay,  rather  a  flight — a  flight  under 
cover  of  darkness  from  the  creditors  one  dares  not  face  on  the 
morrow.  Life's  debts  are  an  inheritance,  Take  san,  an  heirloom 
bequeathed  to  us  by  our  own  evolution,  to  be  paid  by  each  for  the 


284  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

furtherance  of  all.  Oft  times  the  usery  seems  inhumanly  exor- 
bitant, and  our  best  talents  unmarketable  at  their  true  value ;  yet, 
in  the  very  losses  of  their  barter  do  we  march  into  the  line  of  the 
next  reincarnation  of  our  world.  We  are  but  the  accredited  shop- 
keepers of  those  talents,  laden  at  our  births  with  an  overwhelm- 
ing indebtedness,  and  according  to  their  disposal  shall  not  only 
we,  but  all  mankind,  progress.  It  is  a  sorry  merchant  who  will 
not  stay  and  fight  impending  bankruptcy,  Take  san — my  merchant 
of  the  fishes." 

"Yet  there  is  love  to  reckon  with,  Ren-ko  san — my  Lotus !" 

"Love !  What  love?  Do  you  refer  to  bodily  passion?  Or  do  you 
refer  to  that  human — almost  divine — comprehension  which  alone 
the  darkness  can  feel,  can  see,  can  understand,  can  know  the  thrill 
of  each  act  of  self-sacrifice  which  raises  the  willing  victim  one 
rung  higher  on  the  rack?  Ah!  such  a  love  as  that — I  thank  the 
gods — is  mine.  The  perfect  love,  which  gnawing  day  and  night, 
reminds  me  by  the  very  constancy  of  its  pain,  that  that  which  I 
love  is  suffering  too — suffering  every  conceivable  torture.  And  it 
is  this  hallowed  passion  which  makes  possible  the  union  of  our 
souls,  Take  san." 

"A  life  of  suffering !  Ren-ko  san.  What  right  has  God,  or  man, 
to  encumber  us  beyond  our  strength?"  he  demanded.  "Has  some 
force  but  procreated  this  world  as  a  holiday  pit  where  it  may 
gloat  on  helpless  suffering  ?  My  nature  cries  out  against  this  fiend 
of  fiends  who  would  destroy  that  which,  in  sportive  mood,  it  made 
for  jest!  Neither  man,  nor  God,  has  a  right  to  lay  a  finger  on  the 
love  that  springs  unbidden  from  the  soul,  for  that  is  the  life  of 
the  world — the  world  itself.  Deny  it  if  you  dare — Flower  Soul — 
my  breath !" 

"Your  cavil  is  that  of  the  craven  who  cries  against  his  general's 
right  to  demand  the  seemingly  useless  sacrifice  of  the  forlorn 
hope  he  is  ordered  to  march  with,"  she  answered  bravely,  "but  not 
the  motto  of  the  man  I  love.  We  can  not  lay  aside  our  debts ;  they 
are  not  ours  so  to  dispose  of.  The  gods  alone  are  permitted  to  shift 
the  burdens  from  one  of  us  to  the  other,  we  can  but  receive  them 
on  the  knees  of  the  gods.  Our  courageous  acceptance  of  them  is 
that  love,  which  is  the  breath  of  the  world,  my  Take  san.  No  thrill 


NAKED,  UPON  THE  AIR  285 

of  material  contact  can  create  such  an  undying  sensualism  as 
that !  From  such  a  love,  my  beloved,  I  have  come  to  believe,  will 
the  salvation  of  our  people  be  worked — for,  as  you  once  told  me, 
your  work  and  honor  was  in  doing  for  others,  mine  in  aiding  you 
therein.  We  are  but  the  pioneers  of  a  greater  nation,  my  Take 
san — pioneers,  because-  while  realizing  and  striving  for  the  bet- 
ter, we  are  still  custom-chained  to  the  worse.  No  great  onward 
movement  but  must  have  its  martyrs  for  charter-members.  Would 
you  take  that  love,  which  is  my  breath,  from  me  to  defile  it,  Take 
san?" 

His  head  was  bowed,  and  save  for  his  labored  breathing,  he 
stood  as  one  entranced.  She  took  his  hand  and  led  him  gently 
down  the  shaded  walk,  among  the  lengthening  shadows,  and  into 
the  last  rays  of  the  sun  that  flooded  the  curving  bridge.  Beyond 
lay  the  Cherry  Avenue,  and  the  road  through  Tokyo  to  Shiba. 
Above,  crows  were  flighting  in  that  direction. 

"The  crows  are  cawing  now  on  their  nightly  homeward  flight  to 
the  Shiba  woodlands,"  said  she,  "for  the  heart  of  their  mother 
forest  calls  them  to  nest.  If  the  crows  came  not,  the  heart  of  the 
woodlands  would  be  silent  and  sad.  Poor  heart !  your  children  do 
not  leave  you  aching.  You  are  of  Shiba,  my  Take — an  errant 
crow  for  whom  its  nest  is  awaiting ;  there  lies  your  work,  and  your 
honor.  I  am  of  the  cherry  blooms,  that  float  hither  and  thither  on 
the  air  of  heaven.  A  duty  has  whispered  to  me — I  go  to  America, 
shortly,  to  Taro  Goto.  Sayonara — O  Gardener  of  the  Garden  of 
my  Life!" 

The  morning  of  that  day,  the  great,  gloomy  jail  of  Tokyo  had 
disgorged  one — once  Tanaka  of  The  Jewel  River. 

He  had  passed  along  the  Nightless  Street  in  the  early  fore- 
noon, watching  the  scenes  about  what  once  was  his,  now  the 
property  of  another.  A  man,  evidently  from  his  air  their  pres- 
ent proprietor,  fat,  ungainly  and  indolent,  came  forth  from  the 
entrance  that  led  to  the  interior  courtyard,  and  leaned  against  the 
lintel  of  the  doorway,  purfing  his  pipe,  and  watching  idly  the  few 
sight-seers  on  the  street.  Tanaka's  prison-dimmed  eyes  regarded 
him  with  envy,  and  his  prison-nurtured  heart,  black  as  the  corners 


286  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

of  his  cell,  whispered  to  him  its  daily  word  of  vengeance.  He  left 
the  Nightless  Street,  Shibawards. 

There,  in  a  hidden  glade  of  the  woodlands  that  led  to  the  path 
of  tombs,  where  mould  the  Tokugawas,  he  lingered  throughout 
the  afternoon,  watching,  ever  watching  the  O-mon  of  Shima,  and 
the  little  besso  beyond.  As  night  was  about  to  fall,  he  heard  the 
sounds  of  a  'ricksha,  and  perceived  one  stop  before  the  latter 
place.  Its  passenger  dismounted,  followed  by  the  'ricksha  man 
carrying  his  hand  baggage — Tanaka  distinctly  noted  who  it  was 
— discharged  the  'ricksha  and  entered  the  gateway  of  the  villa. 
Then  Tanaka  drew  a  happy  sigh  for  the  first  time  in  six  long 
years,  and  glided  silently  toward  the  outskirts  of  the  woodlands. 

Presently  the  figure  stood  in  the  yashiki  doorway,  evidently 
asking  questions  of  one  who  answered  his  summons.  The  servant 
pointed  toward  the  grey  castle.  The  figure  turned  from  the  house 
and  walked  thoughtfully  in  the  direction  indicated. 

Tanaka  stepped  forth  onto  the  roadway,  and  quickened  his 
pace.  As  he  gained  upon  the  figure,  his  shadow  fell  across  the 
thought-wrapped  man,  who  looked  over  his  shoulder.  The  flash 
of  a  knife — and  Tanaka  struck;  then  fled  for  the  woodlands, 
reaching  their  shelter  almost  as  soon  as  the  tottering  body  fell  to 
the  roadway. 

The  gateman  of  Shima,  dozing  just  outside  its  entrance,  was 
awakened  by  the  falling  of  the  body.  He  stretched  his  arms, 
rubbed  his  eyes  and  arose.  He  had  been  about  to  scratch  his  chin 
as  habitual,  but  stopped,  his  eyes  starting  from  his  head  as  he 
perceived  the  fallen  man.  He  went  toward  him  and  bent  over — it 
was  a  long  time  since  bodies  had  lain  without  the  O-mon  of  Shima. 
Then  he  jumped  suddenly  to  his  feet,  and  flung  his  arms  wildly 
above  his  head. 

"Gods  of  the  house  I  serve !"  he  cried.  "It  is  my  young  master, 
Lord  Tokiyori !" 


XXVI 

FALLING   LEAVES 


Whether  at  Naishdpur  or  Babylon, 
Whether  the  Cup  with  sweet  or  bitter  run, 

The  Wine  of  Life  keeps  oozing  drop  by  drop, 
The  Leaves  of  Life  keep  falling  one  by  one. — OMAR  KHAYYAM. 

IN  THE  library  of  the  Yashiki  were  Lord  Yo-Ake  and  Kiku-ko; 
he,  grown  very  infirm  and  in  need  of  constant  little  attentions,  she, 
delighting  in  administering  to  his  wants.  The  years  of  separation 
from  Tokiyori  had  brought  to  her,  time  for  thought — thought 
aided  and  suggested  by  the  father.  This  had  resulted  in  an  under- 
standing. 


288  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

They  were  conversing  of  Tokiyori — a  subject  scarce  ever 
absent  from  their  lips.  Lord  Yo-Ake  had  arrived  at  that  age  when 
the  hesitancy  of  caste  to  display  its  natural  emotions  is  no  longer 
heeded ;  when  wisdom  has  arrived  at  the  belief  in  the  nothingness 
of  everything. 

"Life,"  affirmed  Lord  Yo-Ake,  reminiscently,  to  Kiku-ko,  "is  a 
golgotha  of  dead  leaves.  Our  hopes  are  strewn  on  the  ground. 
The  evening  air  is  chilling,  autumn  will  be  with  us  soon,  Kiku-ko." 
She  answered  nothing,  but  arose  and  crossed  over  to  an  open 
shoji.  The  twilight  was  fading  into  night.  From  across  the  wood- 
lands came  the  gentle  tinkling  of  temple  bells — from  Sengakuji — 
for  it  was  the  hour  of  evening  prayer  at  the  shrines  of  the  forty- 
seven  ronin.  Both  listened  while  the  gentle  tones  were  audible, 
and  then  as  they  died  into  the  heart  of  the  silent  verdure,  Kiku-ko 
tightly  closed  the  shoji,  and  returned  to  her  father's  side.  Lord 
Yo-Ake  stifled  a  sigh. 

"The  legend  was  incomplete,"  he  murmured  to  himself;  "the 
legend  was  incomplete." 

"Do  you  believe  in  the  gods,  father?"  she  asked,  suddenly. 

"Do  not  you,  Kiku-ko?"  he  answered. 

"I  pray  to  them  each  night  of  my  life,"  said  she,  in  a  low  voice, 
"for  light,  and  forgiveness  for  my  darkness.  It  is  by  the  andon 
of  my  husband  I  have  come  to  see  what  light  may  be,  and  I  need 
its  aid  now  more  than  ever.  I  only  ask  of  the  gods  the  return  of  its 
glimmer — is  that  too  much  to  ask?  Sometimes  I  wonder  if  there 
are  gods." 

"The  portals  of  life,"  answered  Lord  Yo-Ake,  "are  invisible. 
Who  knows  what  lies  beyond  that  which  we  can  not  see?  Dawn, 
born  blushing,  slips  unconsciously  into  the  day  of  what  we  think 
light  and  sight;  before  we  are  aware,  dusk  passes  like  a  watch- 
man to  put  out  our  lights,  and  night  enshrouds  us.  If  another 
dawn  there  be,  who  knows?  or  who  may  tell  us  of  it?  Yet,  if  I 
could  but  believe !  Could  but  believe !" 

Silence  reigned  whilst  the  room  began  to  grow  dark.  Suddenly 
Lord  Yo-Ake  became  aware  of  the  low  voice  of  his  daughter, 
praying.  He  turned  his  head,  and  saw  that  she  was  kneeling  in 
supplicating  attitude  before  the  ihai  to  his  wife,  whispering  the 


FALLING   LEAVES  289 

cry  of  her  aching  heart  to  the  spirit-mother  of  the  man  she  had 
come  to  long  for. 

"O  Mother  of  the  Light  of  my  Life,"  prayed  Kiku-ko,  "stretch 
forth  your  hand  from  the  Meido-Land,  and  lead  my  husband  to 
me."  * 

She  ceased,  and  it  seemed  that  a  great  stillness  had  fallen  upon 
the  room.  Presently  the  shrine  lamp  went  out,  and  a  heavy  dark- 
ness descended.  A  faint  rustle — as  though  a  something  crept 
through  the  room  like  the  passing  of  a  soul;  then,  again,  lifeless 
silence. 

Steps  sounded  in  the  passage;  a  lantern  glimmered,  and  men 
entered  bearing  something  which  they  reverently  laid  down,  and 
then  withdrew.  A  shudder  passed  through  her;  intuitively,  she 
knew  that  her  prayer  had  been  answered ;  that  her  husband  had 
returned  to  her.  Quietly  and  composedly  she  arose,  lighted  an 
andon,  and  knelt  beside  him,  uncovering  the  still  features.  A  great 
peace  had  settled  upon  them. 

Suddenly  she  was  aware  that  the  father,  whom  she  had  forgot- 
ten, was  standing  beside  her.  He  stretched  his  old,  shaking  hands 
forth. 

"Gods,  now  take  thou  thy  servant  from  this  toil  of  pain,"  he 
whispered  in  a  dry,  trembling  voice;  "for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the 
evening  of  my  house.  The  leaves  are  fallen  from  the  tree — it 
stands  uncovered.  The  fault  was  mine ;  the  atonement — his." 

With  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  Kiku-ko  ceased  from  her 
constant  vigil  beside  the  body  of  her  husband,  arid  sought  her 
father's  rooms  to  make  amends  for  her  natural  neglect  of  him. 
She  found  him  confined  to  his  futon — the  reaction  of  the  shock 
having  prostrated  him — but  in  full  possession  of  his  faculties, 
calm  in  his  sorrow. 

As  he  greeted  her  he  indicated  a  traveling  bag  in  a  corner  of 

the  room,  it  was  monogrammed  in  silver  with  Tokiyori's  initials. 

"It  was  sent  over  from  the  besso  this  morning,"  said  he.  "I  had 

it  placed  here  in  order  not  to  disturb  you.  You  had  best  take  it 

to  your  own  apartments,  Kiku-ko,  and  examine  it." 

A  feeling  of  new-found  joy,  even  in  her  sadness,  came  to 


THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Kiku-ko.  If  his  bag  had  been  left  at  the  besso,  he  himself  must 
have  gone  there — to  her  first,  before  seeking  his  father. 
"Nay,"  she  replied,  "let  us  examine  it  here  together,  father." 

She  went  to  the  bag  and  returned  with  it  to  the  side  of  his 
futon ;  kneeling,  she  opened  it.  It  proved  to  contain  such  necessi- 
ties of  quick  travel  as  one  most  needs  for  the  moment,  and  several 
red  morocco-leathered  diaries.  She  laid  these  beside  the  futon, 
opened  one,  and  read : 

".  .  .A  truth  is  not  an  actuality  until  some  soul  has  humanized 
it,  embodied  it — but  I  think,  nevertheless,  that  it  was  always  a 
truth.  If  my  thesis  is  correct  my  Bushido  was  as  much  a  fact  as 
that  of  Saito,  for  which  he  died  at  Satsuma.  I,  therefore,  deduce 
that  Bushido  has  its  two  distinct  manifestations,  spiritual  and  ma- 
terial. In  either  phase  I  confess  to  a  loathing  for,  and  admiration 
of,  its  requirements,  as  contradictory  as  its  manifestations  them- 
selves.— Altruism  is  a  natural  factor  under  its  spiritual  phase; 
egoism  a  characteristic  of  its  material  manifestation.  My  own  ma- 
terial cosmos — an  effeminate  desire  for  sympathetic  affection  and 
comprehension;  a  most  pronounced  horror  of  pain;  an  antipathy 
of  the  strongest  against  that  which  creates  suffering — became  ef- 
faced when  affined  to  the  spiritual  Bushido,  so  that,  despite  the 
loathing  for  the  task  set  me  by  my  father  in  the  Yoshiwara,  I  was 
enabled  to  undertake  it  with  a  true  Pantheistic  disinterestedness. 

"Removed  from  the  environment  of  my  act  I  find  that  I  am  able 
to  review  all  persons  and  sentiments  attaching  to  it  with  a  calm 
introspection.  It  was  never  a  marvel  to  me  how  Kiku-ko,  whom  I 
knew  to  be  inbred  with  romanticism,  could  prefer  as  a  matter  of 
individual  selection  her  cousin  Saito  to  myself;  yet,  it  must  be 
admitted,  that  all  unconsciously  she  did  me  therein  a  supreme 
moral  injustice.  Saito,  an  exponent  of  material  Bushido,  repre- 
sented to  her  all  that  stood  for  chivalry  and  valor,  the  creed  of 
our  forefathers;  while  I,  with  my  poor  personal  attractions  and 
studiousness,  appeared  in  every  way  the  last  one  within  whom 
a  spirit  of  chivalry  could  be  found  to  have  a  habitat.  Heredity  is 
the  strongest  factor  in  our  make-up  when  we  do  not  permit  our 
mentalities  to  evolute  sufficiently  to  overcome  its  inheritance.  Un- 


FALLING   LEAVES  2QI 

derstanding  Kiku-ko's  psychology  in  this  light  I  can  also  appre- 
ciate her  view  point.  What  she  could  neither  see,  nor  comprehend, 
was  that  my  nature  craved  for  a  sympathetic  and  affectionate 
understanding.  The  results  of  such  an  intercourse  as  hers  and 
mine  could  not  be  otherwise  than  befell. 

"When  I  undertook  the  task  of  spying  upon  the  plans  of  Ikeda 
through  the  medium  of  his  daughter,  I  did  so  with  every  feeling 
of  revulsion.  My  material  personality  revolted  at  the  idea;  my 
spiritual  Bushido  made  the  duty  possible.  If  from  the  first  she 
showed  me  that  complete  comprehension  that  Kiku-ko  lacked, 
feeding  with  each  word  my  intellectuality,  any  sentiment  I  may 
have  then  entertained  for  her  was  entirely  subconscious.  Our  in- 
timacy was  but  the  carrying  out  of  a  duty  by  each — she  to  blind 
my  eyes  to  the  plottings  of  her  father,  I  to  gain  information  of 
those  plottings  for  the  salvation  of  our  country.  Our  real  liaison 
has  been  one  of  purest  mentality  and  intellectuality.  I  do  not  con- 
demn Kiku-ko  for  her  lack  of  understanding— but,  oh !  what  a 
world  of  misfortune  both  to  her  life,  and  to  mine,  might  have 
been  saved  could  she  have  learned  to  look  upon  my  spiritual 
Bushido  with  as  just  eyes  as  she  comprehended,  and  loved  Saito's 
material  Bushido !  .  .  . " 

Kiku-ko  dropped  the  diary  upon  the  futon.  The  written  words 
of  her  dead  husband  came  to  her  as  a  shock — but  they  also  came 
to  her  as  a  blessed  light  by  which  her  eyes  were  opened.  It  was  by 
the  glimmer  of  the  lantern  of  his  life  that  she  was  made  to  see. 
For  the  first  time  it  came  to  her  that  there  could  be  a  spiritual 
infidelity  as  well  as  a  material  one — and  that  all  her  life  with  him 
she  had  been  guilty  of  the  former.  Stunned,  she  arose,  and  with 
bent  head  quitted  Lord  Yo-Ake's  apartment. 

Lord  Yo-Ake  lay  musing.  Then  his  faculty  of  mentally  assimi- 
lating that  which  his  mortal  eyes  had  not  seen,  painted  to  him  the 
events  of  that  last  day  in  his  son's  life.  The  unexpected  return,  un- 
announced ;  the  bag  at  the  besso ;  the  death  of  Tokiyori ;  the 
diaries ;  all  told  him  as  clearly  as  though  he  had  accompanied  his 
son  throughout  the  momentous  day.  He  saw  the  landing — the  hur- 
ried visit  to  Ayame — the  meeting  of  Ren-ko  and  Tokiyori — the 


292  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

splendid  and  awful  renunciation  of  a  human  soul  of  its  life — and 
he  rejoiced  that  the  mortal  sufferings  of  his  son  were  past;  that 
the  tortured  soul  of  the  boy  whom  he  loved  more  dearly  than 
aught,  saving  his  country,  was  now  gathered  to  the  peace  of  the 
mother-bosom  in  the  Meido-Land. 

Haphazard,  he  picked  up  one  of  the  diaries  and  read : 

".  .  .  Constant  increase  and  expansion  of  international  com- 
merce must  be  the  guiding  policy  of  our  country ;  a  supreme  con- 
trol of  such  to  be  the  eventual  result. 

"Toward  which  we  must  gain,  and  maintain,  recognition  as  a 
world  power  by  land  and  sea,  and  advance  this  to  the  degree  of, 
at  least,  one  of  the  three  great  nations  of  the  world.  ..." 

"...  The  acquisition  of  our  national  status  has  been  command- 
ed solely  by  the  sword.  Today  we  are  but  a  vaunted  evolution  of 
caveman,  of  prehistoric  half-beast,  for  we  still  maintain  our  moral 
ascendency  over  our  fellow  men  by  the  same  methods  as  our 
remote  ancestors.  I  have  often  heard  it  expressed  as  a  centra- 
argument  to  disarmament  of  nations — that  war  is  a  necessity  to 
relieve  the  world  periodically  of  over-population,  and  that  with- 
out militarism — honor — the  honor  in  which  our  whole  code  of 
ethics  should  be  (but  is  not)  founded — would  cease  as  an  existent 
social  factor.  I  clearly  see  that  scientific  advancement  (higher 
civilization)  is  more  effectually  taking  care  of  surplus  popula- 
tion than  ever  war  did ;  and  as  to  the  latter  argumentum  Bushido 
is  the  answer  absolute  and  final  ipso  facto.  What  then  must  take 
the  place  of  this  material  throwing  away  of  the  samurai's  sword? 
— Trade,  the  Crow's  Roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire.  And  how 
may  it  be  applied? 

"With  the  reduction  of  national  armament;  a  nation's  most 
salient  weapon,  as  well  as  its  most  vulnerable  point,  will  be  its 
commercial  standing,  its  financial  credit  in  the  concourse  of  na- 
tions. The  weapon  of  progress  figuratively  is — like  its  counterpart 
of  Justice — a  two-edged  sword.  The  obverse  edge  of  the  offensive 
weapon  will  be  commercial  ostracism — that  developed  stone-age 
weapon  whereby  modern  humanitarian  nations  may  control  an 
offending  one.  In  this  isolation  will  be  found  the  most  effectual 
means  of  punishing  recalcitrant  nations.  ..." 


FALLING  LEAVES  293 

".  .  .  Our  government  should  first  realize  the  fact  that  it  is  in 
itself  but  a  national  expression  of  the  welfare  of  the  individual, 
and  the  individual  must  be  schooled  to  have  confidence  and  regard 
for  the  government.  My  country  must  control  all  monopolies  to 
her  own  self-support, by  governmental  acquisition  of  all  industries 
that  may  be — or  tend  to  become — either  a  public  necessity  or  lux- 
ury, thus  precluding  the  formation  of  private  trusts,  thereby  in- 
creasing the  government's  resources,  and  reducing  the  direct  tax- 
ation of  the  individual. 

"Our  greatest  asset  is  the  Bushidic  loyalty  and  oneness  of  our 
people,  engendered  in  the  belief  that  the  actual  and  executive 
head  of  our  nation  is  our  father  spiritual  as  well  as  temporal. 
Our  posterity  must  be  schooled  in  this  belief — instilling  in  them 
that  degree  of  national  pride  whereby  the  voice  of  the  govern- 
ment shall  be  to  them  an  abiding  and  sacred  law,  ever  working 
for  the  generations  to  follow.  Whether  nation  or  individual,  our 
aim  and  desire  should  be  to  anticipate  the  advancement  of  those 
to  follow,  that  we  may  live  as  long  as  the  world  itself  in  those 
who  come  after  us.  ... " 

"  .  .  .  Whatever  adverse  judgment  I  may  have  merited  from 
my  country  and  family,  let  this  at  least  stand  to  my  credit — I  have 
obeyed  my  father's  last  words  to  me  to  go  forth  and  find  the 
Roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire. 

"The  fulfilment  of  Nakahara's  prophecy  I  read  thus : 

"His  City  of  Desire  is  the  World's  Commerce;  his  Ronin,  the 
Trader ;  the  Roadway — Korea  and  the  sweep  of  the  Pacific.  So  I 
see  the  solution  written  in  the  Stars. 

"Great  Britain  and  we  are  analagous — a  small  group  of  islands. 
Her  revenues,  largely,  India;  ours  was  meant  to  be  China.  The 
Atlantic  traffic  is  controlled  by  Great  Britain  mostly,  Europe 
slightly,  and  discarded  by  America ;  the  virgin  Pacific — through 
America's  neglect — can  be  ours.  The  trade  control  of  Europe  with 
China  and  the  Orient  can  be  attained  through  Korea — the  pivot  of 
the  world's  coming  trade. 

"Korea,  the  Roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire,  is  our  birthright. 
The  powers  must  be  prevented  from  partitioning  China.  The 
dawn  approaches.  ..." 


294  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"...  Though  I  find  that  all  nations  have  their  City  of  Desire 
centered  in  the  world's  commerce ;  yet  there  is  a  Universal  City  of 
Desire  to  which  each  nation  should  aspire,  that  they  may  light  the 
roadway  to  the  Empire  of  Universal  Humanitarianism,  which  will 
give  to  each  one  of  the  world's  untold  millions  an  ownership  in 
equity  in  all  material  happiness.  ..." 

All  during  that  day  Lord  Yo-Ake  had  remained  encouched, 
perusing  carefully  each  entry  of  the  diaries.  Toward  the  close  of 
the  day  he  laid  these  aside,  and  for  a  long  time  fell  into  a  deep 
meditative  state.  Dusk  had  fallen  and  the  andon  stars  of  night 
were  lighting,  when  suddenly  he  half  arose  and  gave  expression  to 
his  thoughts :  "Oh,  my  son !  thou  hast  torn  the  misty  film  from  my 
eyes  and  shown  me — that  Japan,  with  Occidental  knowledge  en- 
grafted upon  her  ancient  Oriental  wisdom,  is  capable  of  what  I 
had  never  dared  dream  for  her  in  my  most  sanguine  imaginings. 

"Thy  words  have  cleared  the  Roadway  to  the  City  of  Desire  of 
its  brambles  and  hidden  pitfalls. 

"I  now  see  the  possible  boundaries  of  an  empire  greater  than 
ever  empire  has  been.  How  Japan  may  become  the  great  nation  of 
the  future — not  by  superior  armaments,  nor  alone  through  keener 
statecraft,  or  vaster  finances,  but  by  the  wisdom  of  profiting  by 
the  bigoted  ignorance  and  blind  neglect  of  the  Occident.  And 
whilst  the  externals  of  our  governmental  system  may  be  shown 
to  the  Occident,  our  national  psychology  must  remain  hidden  from 
the  ken  of  the  west. 

"Korea  must  be  ours,  to  be  made  the  hub  of  the  coming  Trade 
Wheel  of  the  World.  Wars — necessary,  unavoidable  wars — must 
be  fought  to  establish  Japan's  prestige  over  China;  but  peace 
must  follow — a  universal  peace — and  when  the  supremacy  of 
arbitration  is  finally  established  over  carnage,  then  Japan's  ac- 
quired diplomatic  training  and  practice  must  be  such  as  will  render 
her  invincible." 

Without,  on  the  castle  walk,  the  sounds  of  many  feet  told  of  a 
stream  of  callers,  for  word  had  gone  through  byway  and  alley 
that  Tokiyori  Yo-Ake  had  returned  to  his  native  land,  and  lay 
dead  in  the  castle  of  his  fathers. 


FALLING   LEAVES  295 

Lord  Yo-Ake  raised  his  eyes  to  the  ceiling  of  his  room. 

"Said  the  samurai  I  follow,"  he  quoted,  softly. 
He  stretched  his  arms  out  as  though  in  supplication. 

"My  house  hath  seen  its  evening,"  he  continued;  "the  ihai  to 
my  wife  is  dark.  Its  lamp  burning  ever  these  forty  years — that 
hath  gone  out  but  twice,  each  time  at  the  home  coming  of  my  son 
— is  dead.  The  shrine  shall  remain  in  darkness,  its  lamp  forever 
unlighted,  for  I  think  Ume-Ko's  soul  hath  gone  from  its  abode  to 
clasp  our  son  to  the  mother  bosom  in  the  Meido-Land — O,  son  of 
my  soul !  Son  of  my  soul ! 

"O,  Nippon,  land  of  the  newer,  greater  gods !  Thou  country  that 
wast  nurtured  in  the  womb  of  my  wife  when  my  son  wast  there 
conceived,  that  was  suckled  with  him  at  her  breast — what  a 
jewel  shalt  thou  be  in  the  diadem  of  the  future,  and  what  a  flower 
in  the  chaplet  on  the  brow  of  the  world !  I  see  the  waterways  so 
laden  with  thy  shipping,  that  it  seems  as  though  the  great  seas 
were  crowded  with  myriad  resting  gulls,  all  ready  to  spread  wing 
and  fly  to  the  end  of  the  earth.  I  see  thy  cities  great  and  beautiful, 
thy  countries  fair  and  endless.  I  see  suns  upon  the  horizons,  upon 
the  eastern,  the  western,  the  northern,  the  southern ;  and  they  are 
ever-rising  suns,  emblem  of  our  country.  I  see  thy  people  supreme 
in  might,  wisdom,  humanity  and  loyalty ;  the  arts  and  merchan- 
dise of  the  world  flowing  to  and  from  thy  shores.  I  see  thee,  O, 
beloved  country,  for  whom  my  son  lived  and  died,  the  nation  of 
all,  the  Trade-Rome  of  the  future — vaster  than  the  vastness  of  all 
Rome ;  yet  though  riches  beyond  the  avarice  of  Rome  shall  flow 
to  thee,  thy  people  must  never  become  corrupt  by  the  fiends  of 
luxury,  idleness  and  licentiousness. 

"O,  Universal  City  of  Desire!  Thou,  whose  roadway  is  only  to 
be  followed  under  the  guidance  of  those  three  stars,  Vigilance, 
Progression  and  Humility,  I  see  thee  now  the  final  goal  of  not 
one  nation  alone,  but  of  the  whole  world.  Thou  godlike  city,  that 
will  be  the  temple  of  all  justice,  righteousness,  and  truth,  wherein 
there  shall  be  neither  Christian,  nor  Shintoist,  Buddhist,  nor  Mo- 
hammedan, but  one  great,  pure  light  embracing  all  in  the  one 
moral  essence — the  betterment  of  mankind.  What  matter  by 
what  individual  code  each  nation  shall  strive  to  attain  to  this, 


296  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

whether  it  be  through  the  Christian  virtues — Faith,  Hope  and 
Chanty — or  through  the  enlightenment  of  Buddhism,  if  they  but 
reach  the  gateway  and  enter. 

"Thou  art  gone  from  me,  O,  son  of  mine — into  the  land  where 
awaits  thy  mother.  Thy  sufferings  are  o'er;  those  whom  thou 
loved,  who  loved  thee,  will  know  thee  no  more.  Thy  work  is  done 
— but,  oh,  thrice  cursed  be  the  foul  hand  that  laid  thee  low ! 

"Yet,  why  should  I  such  curses  invoke  when  thou,  thyself, 
wouldst  have  been  the  first  to  say — peace.  The  leaves  have  fallen 
from  the  rose,  so  ruthlessly  cut  down;  but  the  gardener,  gather- 
ing the  petals,  knows  that  their  aroma  will  still  live." 

He  ceased  and  sank  back  upon  the  futon.  Darkness  had  fallen ; 
from  Sengakuji  came  the  nightly  tinkling  of  temple  bells  that 
called  to  prayer  beside  the  graves  of  the  seven-and-forty. 

"Night  is  an  impenetrable  drape  to  mortal  eyes,"  murmured 
Lord  Yo-Ake,  "but  the  voices  of  those  we  loved  may  call  and 
answer  through  it." 


XXVII 

ON  THE  KNEES  OF  THE  GODS 

Listen  again.  One  evening  at  the  Close 
Of  Ramazan,  as  the  better  Moon  arose, 

In  the  old  Potter's  Shop  I  stood  alone 
With  the  Clay  Population  round  in  rows.— OMAR  KHAYYAM. 


AN  AUGUST  even- fall  of  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  ninety  lingered  about  Biwa-ko,  the  red  sun  waning  behind 
Ishiyama,  yet  pausing  in  its  flight  to  touch  the  mighty  walls  of 
Moto  castle.  Throughout  the  day  rain  had  fallen,  but  a  late  after- 
noon sun  had  dried  the  moisture,  saving  where  it  still  lingered  in 
the  corners  of  turret  and  keep  like  tears  in  the  eyes  of  a  weeper. 


298  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

Japan,  the  ever-changing,  had  turned  on  the  juggernaut  wheels 
of  the  years,  the  fortunes  of  her  sons  and  daughters  revolving 
spoke-like  from  the  hub  of  her  national  policies.  Among  those 
affected  by  time  was  the  family  of  Yo-Ake,  the  Lords  of  Dawn, 
whose  heiress  was  now  wedded  to  a  rising  young  officer  of  the 
Imperial  Navy,  Captain  Midzuhara,  destined  to  play  a  prominent 
part  in  the  history  of  his  country.  He  was  the  same  lad  who, 
when  a  boy,  had  rescued  for  the  child,  who  is  now  his  wife,  a  toy 
boat  from  difficulties  in  a  pond  at  Shima,  and  had  been  rewarded 
by  the  patronage  of  Lord  Yo-Ake,  who  secured  his  appointment 
to  a  cadetship  at  the  United  States  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis. 
Aysia  and  her  husband  now  resided  at  the  Shiba  besso. 

Kiku-ko  still  remained  in  attendance  upon  old  Lord  Yo-Ake, 
who  had  removed  his  residence  permanently  to  Moto — his  son 
being  buried  there.  She  had  but  just  now  received  a  letter  from 
Aysia,  detailing  Tokio  news,  extracts  from  which  she  was  reading 
to  the  marquis.  A  large  part  of  Kiku-ko's  daily  vocations  now 
consisted  in  such  duties,  for  the  failing  years  of  his  life  had 
brought  also  failing  sight  to  the  old  nobleman,  so  that  his  dimmed, 
time-worn  eyes  could  scarce  discern  the  forms  of  those  about  him. 

"Tokyo  is  pleasant  this  month,  though  warm,"  read  Kiku-ko  to 
her  father  from  the  just  received  letter  from  Aysia.  "We  hope 
soon — if  Midzuhara  secures  leave  of  absence — to  visit  you  and 
grandfather  at  Moto.  Last  week  Midzuhara  received  news  of  his 
appointment  to  command  the  Kai-ten  Kan,  lately  commissioned. 
He,  as  well  as  I,  is  greatly  elated. 

"Last  week  we  dined  at  Ayame — a  dinner  given  by  the  baron 
to  several  of  his  friends  to  celebrate  the  publication  of  his  book 
of  proverbs.  He  read  us  a  few  after  the  meal,  and  said  there 
were  many  more  he  would  like  to  read,  but  dared  not.  I  am  sure 
they  must  have  been  dreadful.  He  spoke  to  us  also  of  his  nephew, 
and  his  nephew's  wife,  who  are  returning  home  from  America. 
It  seems  that  Mr.  Taro  Goto  is  retiring  from  the  Nippon  Land 
and  Emigration  Company  at  the  solicitation  of  Lady  Ren-ko. 
Presumably  we  shall  see  something  of  them  in  Tokyo  during  the 
winter. 

"Such  a  weird  and  unpleasant  thing  happened  yesterday  that  I 


ON  THE  KNEES  OF  THE  GODS  2Q9 

scarce  know  how  to  write  it.  Midzuhara  was  returning  afoot, 
late  in  the  evening,  through  the  Shiba  woods,  having  been  to 
Shima.  As  he  left  the  castle  he  was  stopped  by  a  stranger  who 
asked  if  the  Yo-Ake  family  were  in  residence  there  now.  Upon 
Midzuhara's  informing  him  to  the  contrary,  he  thanked  him  and 
withdrew.  Midzuhara  was  much  struck  by  the  man's  dejected 
mien;  he  said  it  was  as  that  of  some  lost  spirit  seeking  an  un- 
found  atonement.  Later  that  night  a  man  was  found  dead  just 
before  the  O-mon  of  the  castle ;  he  had  committed  seppuku.  The 
authorities  were  notified  and  his  identity  established.  He  was  the 
murderer,  Tanaka.  It  may  have  been  an  expiation ;  if  so  I  pray  the 
gods  will  receive  his  soul.  It  is  so  father  would  have  wished  us  to 
pray. 

"The  lotus  will  shortly  be  out  now.  I  went  into  the  castle  grounds 
today;  the  ponds  were  alive  with  buds." 

Kiku-ko  ceased  reading  and  laid  the  letter  aside.  For  some 
little  time  silence  reigned  between  her  and  her  father,  each  occu- 
pied with  thoughts  invoked  by  the  letter.  Presently  Lord  Yo-Ake 
spoke  in  a  quavering  old  voice : 

"The  lotus  here  should  be  out  by  now,  Kiku-ko,"  said  he. 

"It  is  all  in  buds  yet,"  she  answered. 

"I  wish  you  would  go  to  the  pond  and  see  if  none  have  flowered," 
he  requested  with  the  pertinacity  of  age. 

Each  day  for  the  past  fortnight  had  Kiku-ko  patiently  sought 
the  pond  at  similar  biddings  from  him. 

"Dear  father,"  she  remonstrated,  "it  is  but  a  few  short  hours 
since  I  visited  the  pond,  and  it  showed  naught  but  buds." 

"One  may  have  flowered  since,"  objected  Lord  Yo-Ake,  ob- 
stinately. 

With  a  sigh  Kiku-ko  arose  to  comply,  and  after  her  departure 
Lord  Yo-Ake  sat  musing. 

"He  so  loved  a  lotus,"  he  reasoned  to  himself,  "that  if  a  rain  of 
love  could  make  them  flower,  I  think  my  boy  would  deluge  them 
with  such.  It  rained  but  now — who  knows  ?  There  may  be  lotus ; 
no  flower  would  resist  the  love  he  bore  it.  I  feel  the  lotus  will 
come  to  Moto  for  him  today." 

He  sat  thinking  on  this  until  Kiku-ko  re-entered  the  room. 


3OO  THE  LORDS  OF  DAWN 

"See  what  a  beautiful  flower,  father,"  she  exclaimed,  holding 
forth  a  lotus  in  full  bloom.  "I  must  have  overlooked  it  when  last 
at  the  pond." 

She  placed  the  flower  in  his  trembling  hands,  and  he  fondled  it 
tenderly. 

"We  will  take  it  to  Tokiyori's  grave,"  said  he.  "Help  me  to 
arise,  Kiku-ko." 

"Nay,  I  will  take  it  for  you,"  said  she. 
The  old  man  held  tightly  to  his  treasure. 

"We,"  he  insisted,  with  the  petulance  of  age. 

"But,  father,"  she  remonstrated,  "you  have  not  left  the  house 
for  months  past.  It  will  overtax  you  to  walk  to  the  grave." 

"Strength  will  be  given  me,"  he  asserted,  "to  bear  a  lotus  to  my 
son.  Your  arm,  my  daughter." 

Perforce,  she  complied,  and,  tottering  feebly,  he  finally  man- 
aged by  help  of  arm  and  cane  to  reach  the  grave-side.  Night  was 
drawing  in  as  they  knelt  and  laid  the  flower  upon  the  shrine. 
Across  the  water  came  welling  the  great  bell  of  Miidera,  low,  sol- 
emn, musical  strokes  lulling  finally  into  the  silence  of  sleep  on  the 
bosom  of  placid  Biwa. 

Through  the  dusk,  one  other — a  woman — approached  the 
shrine,  kneeling  reverently  near  them,  yet  so  silently  that  the 
engrossed  father  and  wife  of  the  dead  noted  not.  Lord  Yo-Ake, 
his  prayers  said,  raised  his  head,  and  Kiku-ko  arose  to  assist  him 
to  his  feet.  As  she  did  so,  she  observed  the  other  devotee.  It  was 
the  woman  who  had  ruined  her  life,  had  striven  to  steal  her  hus- 
band's affections,  the  "brothel  woman" — all  these  Kiku-ko 
thought  her — Ren-ko  Goto,  born  Ikeda. 

The  one  little  start  Kiku-ko  gave  upon  recognition  of  the  in- 
truder aroused  Lord  Yo-Ake.  He  got  to  his  feet,  trembling.  A  low 
sob  caught  his  attention — it  was  not  from  Kiku-ko. 

"Some  one  to  whom  my  boy  was  dear  is  with  us,"  said  he. 

He  peered  about  him  and  made  out  the  dim  form  of  a  woman 
arising  to  her  feet.  He  approached,  and  touched  the  scarce  seen 
forehead  with  trembling  fingers.  Then  he  drew  himself  up  with  a 
sharp  intonation  of  the  breath.  The  effort  had  been  so  much  that 
he  staggered;  Ren-ko  stretched  forth  her  hand  to  save  him. 


ON  THE  KNEES  OF  THE  GODS  3OI 

Kiku-ko  interposed  quickly,  and  slipped  her  arm  beneath  her 
father's  to  lead  him  away.  Lord  Yo-Ake  stopped,  took  Ren-ko's 
hand  and  strove  to  find  that  of  his  daughter's.  A  little  evening 
breeze  sprang  up,  rustling  the  grass  of  the  grave — to  each  a 
whisper  came,  clear  and  distinct: 

"Lotus  and  chrysanthemum  of  mine,  your  peace,  as  your  sorrow, 
is  on  the  knees  of  the  gods." 

Old,  tottering,  Lord  Yo-Ake  joined  the  hands  of  the  two. 
"I  knew  the  lotus  would  come  to  Moto  today,"  said  he,  simply; 
"my  boy  wished  it  so,  and  the  garden  was  incomplete — my  daugh- 
ters." 

Slowly,  supporting  him,  Lotus  and  Chrysanthemum  wended  to- 
ward the  yashiki  until  the  jewel-hedge  hid  them  from  sight. 

A  moon  arose,  and  drew  the  outline  of  the  castle  walls  as  fine 
as  the  thread  of  a  melodious  samisen  against  the  star-keyed  fret- 
board  of  Night. 


SAYONARA 


GLOSSARY 


Andon  (Ahn-dhon)  A  paper-framed  night 

light. 
Ayame   (Ah-yam-may)   Iris. 

Baka-fu    (Bah-ka-foo)    Administrative 

council. 

Banzai   (Bahn-zai)    Live  forever. 
Besso,   A  villa. 
Biwa   (Bee-wah)    Lute — name  of  great 

lake  near  Kiyoto. 

Bu,   Coin — a  quarter  of  a  Ryo  (Yen). 
Bushido    (Bu-she-do)    Chivalry. 

Daimio   (Dai-me-yo)    Prince. 

Daisho    (Dai-sho)    Two-sworded  warrior. 

Fuda     (Foo-dah)     Amusement    placard — 

posters. 
Fudai   Daimio    (Foo-dai)    Hereditary 

prince. 
Fusima  (Fu-su-ma)  Sliding  door  between 

rooms. 
Futon   (Fu-tong)   Mattress. 

Geisha    (Gay-sha)    A   public   entertaining 

girl. 

Geta  (Gay-tah)  Wooden  clogs. 
Godowns,  Oriental  term  for  warehouse. 

Hanashika    (Hana-shee-kah)    Professional 

story  teller. 

Hibatchi    (Hee-batchee)    A  brazier. 
Hokan   (Ho-kahn)   Male  jester. 
Hoku   No  Kami,  Lord  of  the  North. 
Hyaku   (High-yaku)   Hurry,  quickly. 

Ihai  (E-high)  Ancestral  tablet. 
Irasshai  (E-ras-shy)  Welcome. 
Ishiyama  (E-she-yah-mah)  A  mountain — 

one    of    the    eight    points    of    interest 

around  Kiyoto. 

Kago     (Kang-o)     Basket     palanquin     or 

carried  vehicle. 
Kakemono    (Kah-kee-mo-no)    A   hanging 

picture. 
Kasa  (Kah-sah)  Umbrella. 


Kirei   (Kee-ray)   Pretty. 

Koku   (Ko-ku)   Five-bushel  rice  measure, 

Kom    Ban    Wa     (Koom-ban-wah)     Good 

evening. 

Koro    (Ko-ro)    Incense  burner. 
Ko    Tansu    (Ko-Dansu)    Small    chest    of 

drawers. 

Koto  (Ko-to)  Musical  instrument. 
Koya  (Ko-yah)  Amusement  booth. 
Kuge  (Koo-gay)  Court  noble. 

Matsuri    (Mat-suree)    Festival. 

Meido   (May-doh)   Unknown. 

Meiji  (Mey-gee)   Period  1868  to  1911. 

Miidera    (Me-e-deerah)    One  of  the  eight 

points  of  interest  around  Lake  Biwa. 
Mitsu     Awoi     (Meet-su     ah-woy)     Three 

holly-hock  leaves. 
Mokusei     (Moke-sey)     Fragrant     Osman- 

thus   flowers. 
Mukojima    (Moo-koh-gee-mah)    Name   of 

Cherry  Avenue  at  Tokyo. 

Nagaya   (Nang-eye-yah)    Barracks. 

Nakauri  (Nah-kah-oo-ree)  Theater  ven- 
dor and  guest  welcomer. 

Nippon   (Nee-pohn)   Japan. 

Nori  Mono  (No-re-mo-no)  Enclosed  pa- 
lanquin— carried  vehicle. 

Obi   (Oh-bee)    Woman's  wide  sash. 
Oiiran   (Oy-ran)   Prostitute  of  first  class. 
Omon   (Oh-mon)   The  great  gate. 
Oni   (Oh-nee)   Devils  or  evil   spirits. 
Oyasumi     Nasai     (Oh-yah-soo-mee     nah- 
sigh)   Good  night. 

Ri  (Ree)  About  two  and  one-half  miles. 
Ronin  (Roe-nin)  Masterless   samurai  (rov- 
ing knights). 

Sake   (Sackey)   Native  wine. 
Samisen   (Sahm-sen)   Musical  instrument. 
Samurai  (Sam-mu-rai)   A  knight. 
Sancho  (San-sho)  Japanese  fragrant  pep- 
per. 


304 


GLOSSARY 


Sanpan,  Oriental  term  for  boat. 

Satsuma   (Sat-soo-mah)   A  powerful  clan. 

Sayonara   (Sai-yo-nara)    Goodbye. 

Seppuku  (Sepoo-ku)  Act  of  disembowel- 
ing. 

Sesshu  (Sess-shu)  Name  of  a  celebrated 
artist. 

Shogun  (Sho-guhn)  Military  ruler. 

Shoji  (Sho-gee)  Outer  sliding  paper 
doors. 

Singakuji  (  Seng  -  gab -koo- gee)  Burial 
place  of  the  47  ronins. 

Susuki    (Su-su-kee)   Autumn  grass. 

Sumida  (Su-mee-dah)  River  in  Tokyo. 

Tai    (Tie)    The  Japanese  king  of  fishes. 
Taiko   Yagura   (Tic-ko-yah-gu-rah)    Drum 

turret. 
Tama     Gaki     (Tah-ma-gah-kee)     Jewel 

Hedge — Tree-grown  ramparts. 
Tatami    (Tah-tam-inee)    Floor   mats. 


Tenshu,   Castle  tower. 

Tobakobon    (Tobak-o-bohn)     Smoker's 

cabinet. 
Tokonoma     (Toe-ko-no-mah)     Decorative 

recess  in   guest   room. 
Tono    Sama    (Toe-no-sah-mah)    The    dai- 

mio   or  great  master. 
Toro    (Toe-roe)    Lantern. 

Uji  No  Mitama  (Oo-gee-no-mee-ta-mah) 
"By  the  treasures  of  my  ancestors." 

Yakunin   (Yak-oo-nin)   An  official. 

Yashiki    (Yash-key)    The  master's  house. 

Yadoya  (Yadoyah)  An  inn  or  hotel. 

Yen,  Japanese  money  equal  to  about  50 
cents  in  our  coin. 

Yo-Ake    (Yo-ah-key)    Dawn. 

Yose   (Yo-sey)   Place  of  entertainment. 

Yoshiwara  (Yoshee-warah)  Public  prosti- 
tute district. 

Yujo    (Yu-jo)   Prostitute. 


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JUL  28  1938 

SEP    22  194 

25Feb>57?Ct 

r 

frR  1  2  1957 

, 

LD  21-95m-7,'37 

YC  46587 


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